RLW & TITO
Reviewed by Massimo Ricci on Touching Extremes (I), August 2008
The word "Mahlzeit", it is explained in the liner notes, is a German greeting at lunch time whose ironical
sense comprises translations such as "nothing there" or "on the contrary". The act of eating, the relative body
functions and the noises that we emit while feeding ourselves are an essential building block in this record by
Ralf Wehowsky (senior and junior) and Trans Industrial Toy Orchestra, which includes Peter Kastner, Ine Ophof and
Jan Van Wissen. But despite the presence of belches, gulps, saliva-drenched sucking and farts in several occasions,
this must be critically considered as a serious acousmatic CD. Starting from sources ranging from violin and flute
to toys and kitchen tools, we're besieged by twelve tracks whose content - let's face it - has really no mercy and
no soul. The wheeling and dealing is captured, splendidly recorded and - all the more interestingly - electronically
modified and disassembled, showing us the graphic aspect of a concrete sound-derived work of art. The things that are
not instantly decipherable - make that "striking for their untruthfulness" - are deformed, elongated, split in a
thousand pieces that get paralleled with skewed melodies or just sheer tones, rendered with the utmost coldness by
this cooperative juxtaposition of sonic researchers. It almost looks like RLW and TITO wanted us to experience the
feel of bodily pain typical of digestive disorders, yet all that remains after a conscientious listen is a corroboration
of brilliance: these people know how to toil over sounds, and only by putting the highest attention to what's heard one
can take the shroud off the artistic values contained herein. Intensely mind-altering materials for those who don't give
a damn about polite manners.
Reviewed in OX (GER), August 2008
Wer sind die Menschen hinter den Abkürzungen? An erster Stelle, ohne Wertung, ist Ralf Wehowsky von P16.D4/Selektion und danach kommt ein loser Zusammenschluss, der sich ausgeschrieben Transindustrial Toy Orchestra nennt. 'Mahlzeit' ist eine lebendige Klangsammlung, die aus verschiedenen Küchengeräten, Spielzeugen, Körpergeräuschen und manipulierter Elektronik gekocht wurde. Manchmal irritieren die Hörmuster und manchmal laufen sie wie Alltagsgeräusche einfach nebenbei. Viele werden jetzt sagen: Toll, ich kann meine Familie auch beim Essen, Rülpsen oder dumm Herumschwatzen aufnehmen und das dann veröffentlichen. Richtig, das wäre aber dann nur halb so interessant. Richtig interessant wird es hier nämlich erst, wenn die verschiedenen Geräusche und Szenarien miteinander verschmelzen und einen neuen Klangraum erschaffen, der weit über das hinausgeht, was ein plattes Abbild der Realität im Stande sein würde zu leisten. Bei den meisten experimentellen Anti-/Musiken liest sich die Theorie ja immer besser als das, was hinterher auf dem Tonträger vorzufinden ist. Hier aber passt es perfekt zusammen, denn gewöhnliche Hörerlebnisse gibt es hier nirgends zu finden, sondern einen komplett neu zusammengesetzte und in sich schlüssige, kleine Welt (8/10)
Reviewed by Keith Moliné in WIRE (GB), July 2008
Two extremely well packaged releases from the fledgling Hinterzimmer labe. 'Mahlzeit', Ralf Wehowskys collaboration with The Transindustrial Toy Orchestra, is a loose meditation on the concept of mealtime as a social event in which hierarchical codes of behaviour are symbolically formalised. Kitchen tools and sounds of bodily functions are used (processed beyond recognition, of course - this is a Wehowsky project after all) and the satirical intent is clear. As a sonic experience, it doesn't quite get going until the excellent 14 minute closer, coincidentally the only actual collaboration between the artists, the other tracks being either solo RLW or TITO pieces.
Reviewed by Heinrich Deisl in Skug (GER), July 2008
Na prost Mahlzeit! Essen auf elektronisch. Ralf Wehowsky aka RLW, deutscher Klangpionier u.a. mit P16.D4, hat zusammen mit dem Transindustrial Toy Orchestra (einem losen Zusammenschluss von Musikern aus Hamburg und Amsterdam) eine sagen wir mal Konzeptplatte zum Thema Essen herausgebracht. Ähnlich wie bei HNAS oder Rowenta/Khan ist man auch auf 'Mahlzeit' um den einen oder anderen Audio-Joke sicher nicht verlegen, Ernsthaftigkeit ist was für Gourmands. Diese Sound-Gourmets stellen die Küche auf den Kopf und werkeln auf allem, was da so herumkreucht. Womit der Impetus in Richtung Musique Concrète gewahrt bleibt und in den Suppentopf kommt eine anständige Portion Kraut - jaja, das mit dem Rock, von alten Cut-Up-Tapeschleifen gut durchgerührt. Die einen haben sie zum Fressen gern, für andere ist das einfach nur Nonsens; Durchgeknallt ist 'Mahlzeit' auf jeden Fall. Essen, schmatzen, komische Elektroniksounds, kaputte Küchenutensilien; schwerst undogmatisch und konsequent. Wie heisst es so schön: 'Warum rülpset und furzet ihr nicht, hat es euch nicht geschmeckt?'. Spielt Jamie Oliver eigentlich ein Instrument?
Reviewed by Tom Sekowksi in Gaz-Eta (PL), July 2008
Translated from German as meal, "Mahlzeit" is an amalgamation of experimental guru Ralf Wehowsky and Trans Industrial
Toy Orchestra [TITO] from Hamburg. TITO [in this incarnation - Peter Kastner, Ine Ophof and Jan Van Wissen] created their
part of the conceptual work using a broad collection of toys and kitchen tools and used electronic devises to contort these,
while Wehowsky adds a mix of electronics, instruments voice and best of all, body functions. This very conceptual piece of
work at times sounds like a merry go round, at other times resembles a cluttering of kitchen utensils thrown randomly across
a room and at other times still sounds like a cacophony of electronically-cured body noises. On "Fressen, vergessen", one is
privy to hear a series of mid-volume farts, while a carousel sound accompanies the bellows that are emitted. When RLW remixes
TITO on "Hin", we get a condensed version of variety of body noises - farts, belches, squirms, stomach noises - accompanied by
a screechy electronic landscape. Most intense piece of the bunch comes at the end, as the fourteen minute "Bauernfruehstueck,
Labskaus und Gulaschsuppe" twists its way through a cacophony of various noises, squeals, metal-sheet bombs and other sundry
twists and turns. Forget about making an attempt to dig sense from the depth of this record. Digest "Mahlzeit" slowly, and let
it pass through your system like you would with any good meal, without forcing a rush on this experience.
Reviewed by Peter Vercauteren in Gonzo (NL), July 2008
RLW hoort in hetzelfde lijstje thuis, want elke oud-industrieel zal goedkeurend aan zijp pijp lurken bij de namen Ralf Wehowsky, P16.D4 en het Selektrion-label. Voor de CD 'Mahlzeit' worden druk geluiden, uitgewisseld met het Hamburgerse TITO (Trans Industrial Toy Orchestra). Zoals de naam laat vermoeden zoekt TITO vooral zijn heil in het misbruik van speelgoed en keukengerei, Maar op 'Mahlzeit' overheersen vooral de stemmen (field recordings en gemanipuleerde strottenhoofden), en we hoeven er geen tekeningetje bij te maken dat met een vervormde stem perfect een spijsverteringskanaal kan geimiteerd worden. Omda labelbaas Reto Mäder (RM74) ook nog gezorgd heeft voor prachtige digipacks, zijn beide CDs erg smakelijke brokken voor liefhebbers van elektro-akoestische surrealsime).
Reviewed by Vittore Baroni in Rumore (IT), June 2008
Ci spostiamo in territori più dissonanti con 'Mahlzeit' (Hinterzimmer) di RLW & TITO, concept a tema alimentare in cui il veterano Ralf Wehowsky (P16.D4) e il trio Transindustrial Toy Orchestra si scambiano suoni di banchetti, utensilia da cucina e funzioni corporali (brontolii, rutti, ecc.), per poi vicendevolmente elaborarli in grotteschi collage elettroacustici e capricciosi caroselli noise. Imaginate il classico 'The Body' by Geesin/Waters remixato dai Nurse With Wound.
Reviewed by Thomas Millroth on soundofmusic.nu, May 2008
Ett litet bolag i Bern som specialiserat sig på litet udda elektronica,
ljud och annat ger ut detta säregna samarbete, Ralf Wehowskys projekt Mahlzeit.
Han har bjudit in Transindustrial Toy Orchestra (TITO) från Hamburg.
Det är ett löst sammanhållet musikkollektiv som använder
leksaker som ger ljud ifrån sig som instrument; också köksredskap duger.
Det passar ju i detta projekt. Och jag lovar, det är ett himmelskt liv och skrammel.
Akustiken är egendomlig, röster blandas med kroppsljud, elektroniska instrument,
leksaker. Alla spåren på skivan är ett samarbete i ljudbearbetning av varandras
klanger. Det låter mycket märkligt. Ett slags collage av tidig elektronika, konkret musik
och något som kanske bäst kan beskrivas som kraut-avantgarde. Bitvis är det briljant.
Blandningen är otrolig på samma vis som ett album av Sparks - men i andra ändan av
kitschskalan, om ni förstår vad jag menar. Där finns oförglömliga slingor.
Och öppningar som sätter sig omedelbart. Till exempel albumets blott tre sekunder långa
startskott, som fick mig att omtumlad resa mig upp från stolen.Spretigheten är en kvalitet.
Men så kommer invändningarna. De branta kasten och skärande ljuden vävs samman
med ett slags fältinspelningar från måltider, promenader och annat. Litet
meningslöst snack tas upp. Ibland understryks det busiga i musiken av diverse kroppsljud.
Men ärligt talat hur kul är det att höra när någon rapar och fiser?
Och när en kvinnlig musiker ett par gånger stönar liderligt för att sedan
avsluta med "Danke", ja då är jag beredd att stänga av. Det är
alldeles för enkelt. Inte blir jag chockad, bara uttråkad av slikt studentikost trams.
Synd, för TITO:s leksaksslammer har en klar kvalitet.
Reviewed by Jean-Claude Gevrey in Octopus (F), May 2008
Nouvel ajout dans la discographie importante, à tous les sens du terme, de Ralf Wehowsky (RLW)
qui s'associe cette fois avec le collectif libertaire post-industriel TITO (Trans Industrial
Toy Orchestra). Constitué ici de Peter Kastner, Ine Ophof et Jan van Wissen, TITO fait
dans le détournement de jouets et de petits ustensiles pour créer des
sonorités concrètes dans une démarche qui n'est pas sans rappeler
l'esthétique Fluxus. Un univers pas si éloigné de celui de RLW à qui
ils doivent sûrement beaucoup et qui, depuis le début des années 80, allie
explorations électro-acoustiques radicales et collages sonores avec un sens de
l'inscrutabilité qui n'appartient qu'à lui. La rencontre des deux parties se
place donc sous le signe de l'étrange et de l'imprévisible. Présentés
comme un menu, les douze titres de Mahlzeit (de 3 secondes à 14 minutes en durée)
font référence au repas comme rituel de socialisation autant que moment de satisfaction
physiologique. Très conceptuelle, cette suite de plats sonores est suffisamment riche et
variée pour constituer une bonne valeur nutritive. Certains morceaux sont plus copieux que
d'autres notamment ceux où RLW nous régale de bruits de mastications et autres fonctions
corporelles façon Grande Bouffe et nous fait le coup de l'orchestre tsigane en fin de
repas à l'aide de son violon (enfin presque). On voyage aussi à travers de lugubres
cuisines où retentit le vacarme de fonds de casseroles consciencieusement raclés, on
traverse une salle de restaurant d'où l'on saisit péniblement des bribes de conversations
incongrues, on passe même brièvement à la caisse enregistreuse de la supérette
du coin. Le tout sans trop savoir ce qui nous arrive. Pas forcément facile à
digérer à la première écoute, ce disque renferme bien des saveurs
qui se dégustent sur la longueur : bon appétit !
Reviewed by Jean-François
Micard in D-Side (F), May 2008
Pionnier de la musique industrielle et électroacoustique
allemande avec son groupe P16.D4, Ralf Wehowsky n'a jamais cessé d'expérimenter et a entrepris,
depuis le début des années 90, une carrière fructueuse sous l'identité de RLW. Pour son nouveau
projet, consacré à la nourriture, et plus spécifiquement au repas (Mahlzeit signifiant simplement repas),
il a collaboré avec le collectif Transindustrial Toy Orchestra (TITO), qui a enregistré quantité de sons
à partir d'objets de cuisine qui ont ensuite été retravaillées, soit par eux, soit par RLW, créant une
sorte de repas déglingué où, conversations comprises, rien de ce qui se passe sur et autour de la table
n'est vraiment normal. Avec un même goût pour la musique électroacoustique, le Suisse Kiko C. Esseiva
compose pour sa part des pièces où les instruments traditionnels et la voix, en français la plupart
du temps, s'allient à des field recordings et des passages bruitistes pour créer une masse dense et
complex. Souvent proche d'un Nurse With Wound, par ses aspects narratifs, Sous Les Etoiles est un
excellent album, à la fois crispant, ludique et terrible.
Reviewed by Massimiliano Busti in Blow Up issue 120, May 2008
Concept album dedicato alle funzioni socializzanti del pasto, 'Mahlzeit' nasce
dalla collaboratione fra l'ex P16.D4 Ralf Wehowsky e la Trans Industrial Toy
Orchestra composta da Peter Kastner, Ine Ophof e Jan Van Wissen, ensemble olandese
attivo non solo nell'ambito della sperimentazione musicale ma anche in quello della
arti multimediali. Dal loro incontro nasce questo strano ibrido di musica concreta,
elettronica analogica et performance fluxus, che assembla in forma di composizione
astratta rumori d'ambiente, borboritmi, e strumenti musicali senza riuscire a
trasmettere suggestioni più profonde di un semplici effetto sopresa. Parafrasando un
titolo di un celebre album degli anni settanta, più che 'Music From The Body' qui si
tratta id musica per apparato digerente, e tanto per rimanere in tema, l'ascolto risulta di
difficile digeribilità.
Reviewed by Rigobert Digmann in Bad Alchemy (D), May 2008
Mahlzeit (HINT03) wünschen RLW & TITO. Ein schillerndes Wort, das in der Mittagszeit unter
Kollegen zur Grußformel wird, umgangssprachlich aber auch bedeuten kann: Da ham wir den Salat,
geschissen ist nicht gemalt. Ralf Wehowsky und das Transindustrial Toy Orchestra in Gestalt von
Peter Kastner, Ine Ophof & Jan van Wissen, teils getrennt, teils im gegenseitigen Mix, lassen in
der Schwebe, ob ihr Kraut-und-Rüben-Eintopf sich den Kommentar 'Ja, das hat was' oder 'Würg'
verdienen möchte. Grob gesagt ist das postindustriale Musique concrète aus Stimmen und Geräuschen, bis mit 'Fressen, vergessen'
geschmatzt, gerotzt, gerülpst und gefurzt, gemuht und gemäht wird, dass es einer Sau graust.
Die phantastische Reise führt vom Schlund zum Zwölffingerdarm and beyond, beschallt von Akkordeongefiepe
und Geigengezupfel. Bei Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock, Prost Mahlzeit! Nur Sadomasochisten schreien da nach Mehr.
Die Großstadt wird zum Gabentisch für Noisophile, die Welt längst eine Bärenplatte für alle, die Fressen über
Moral stellen. Obwohl die Kapitalisten heute Stricke liefern, ohne einen Gedanken daran verschwenden zu müssen,
daran aufgehängt zu werden, kann RLW diese moralische Komödie nur beflöten und bedröhnen, Mordlust stünde einem
Oberstaatsanwalt auch nicht zu Gesicht, selbst wenn ihm öfters mal Labskaus oder Gulaschsuppe aus diesem fallen
möchte. Die Bourgeoisie hat ihren diskreten Charme gänzlich eingebüßt, (fast) jeder frisst, (fast) jeder scheißt auf jeden. Würg.
Reviewed by Roger Batty in Musique Machine, April 2008
This strange food obsessed collaboration falls somewhere between improvision, cryptic/ disgusting and
funny field recording collages and live-wire/ droning electronics, with the odd more musically moment.
Utilized to create the album are; vocals, flute, body functions and electronics by RWL (Senior & junior)
and toys, kitchen tools electronics and voices by TITO Trans industrial Toy Orchestra. The album wonders along
in a often quite vs. sudden jarring and grotesque sonic world that uncurls around you in an languid, over-eaten
and woozy atmosphere.Which goes from making you feel lite-head, freaked out , to been chuckle bound. Often they
dropped in seemingly random conversions about food and beer, cinema that drift into sound space among the other
sounds. I prefer the passagers here that are a little denser, hectic and bodily noise bound, they seem to have more
focus and point as some of the album does have a tendency to wonder along in it's own little world with little direction
or point. An album that at its best creates some very freaked- out and weird audio landscapes and at its worse is a little
dull and pointless. So a little hit and miss on the whole sort of 60% works the other 40% is highly variable. 2/5
Reviewed by Frans De Waard in Vital Weekly 620, March 2008
Sure, sure. I am a big fan of the music of Ralf Wehowsky, ever since the early days of P16.D4
down to this very day. Many of his works are recorded in collaboration with others, and here it's
the Transindustrial Toy Orchestra, a loose collective from Hamburg and Amsterdam, of whom I never
heard. Here they have three members, Peter Kastner, Ine Ophof and Jan van Wissen, with a 'vast
collection of toys and kitchen tools, using electronic devices to transform them into bizarre
acoustic situations'. RLW adds electronics, instruments, voice and 'body functions', bouncing
material back and forth. Some pieces are by RLW,. some by Peter Kastner, some by Jan van Wissen
and one is 'RLW plays Tito'. 'Mahlzeit', as a title, refers to eating and cooking: it's German for
enjoy your meal. I'll be honest: it's not my cup of tea. It's quite noisy at times, which put me off
a bit, but it's not the main point. It seems that these pieces are thrown together (probably they are
not, and the result of hard work), and rather a big bunch of improvisations of all sorts which could have
been edited into nice pieces of music, but it's not. It still stays on the rough side of things. To use the
analogy of cooking: you can eat it, but does it taste nice? I thought this meal could have used a bit more
preparation. Many dishes are on the table for sure, but the burping says it all.
Playlist in MUMA on Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 12.9.2008
1. RLW & TITO - Hin (Hinterzimmer)
2. O.S.T. - Cruaecis (Ideal)
3. Lawrence English - Soft Fuse (Touch)
4. Lawrence English - Happiness Will Befall (Cronica)
5. Michael Santos - The Happy Error (Baskaru)
6. Black To Comm - Play Eggchess 3 (Dekorder)
7. Pure Sound - To You, My Dearest (Euphonium)
8. Pure Sound - Square Thing (Euphonium)
9. RLW & TITO - HaHa Super Specialiteiten (Hinterzimmer)
Playlist in FSK on Radio Gagarin (GER), August 2008
1. Jermone Noetinger/ErkiM - What A Wounderful World (Erstwhile)
2. Toy Bizarre & Pierre Redon - Automne (Auf Abwegen)
3. To Live And Shave In L.A. - Horoscopo (Blossoming Noise)
4. Sudden Infant/Carlos Giffoni - Anxiety - (Entr'acte)
5. Xabec - Feuerstern II (Drone)
6. Asmus Tietchens - Drei Beisetzungen In Wien (Die Stadt)
7. 15 Degrees Below Zero - The Returning (Angle)
8. B.C. Gilbert & G. Lewis - 3.4. (4AD)
9. Iancu Dumitrescu - Grande Ourse (Electrochord)
10. Yellow Swans & Burning Star Core - Skylab (Blossoming noise)
11. Oren Ambachi & Scott Horncroft - 19 Guitars (Textile)
12. KTL - Ahattuir (Thrill Jockey)
13. RLW & TITO - Fressen, Vergessen (Hinterzimmer)
14. Karlheinz Stockhausen - Telemusik (Slow Moiton)
15. Karlheinz Stockhausen - Kontakte (Deutsche Grammophon)
16. Karlheinz Stockhausen - Gesang der Jünglinge (Deutsche Grammophon)
17. Blue Sabbath Black Fiji - Du bist du? (Eigen)
18. Blue Sabbath Black Fiji - Ov Houh (Eigen)
19. Sightings/Tom Smith - Capitalism and ... (The Smack Shire)
20. Hanna Hartman - Logitude 013° 26`e (Komplott)
21. (-hyph-) - Reset Barriers (Tourette)
22. Shivers - Off (Meudiademorte)
23. Goh Lee Kwang - Good Vibratoin (Herbal)
24. Merzbow - Minazo At The Heart Of The Crab Nebula Pt. 1 (Imporant)
25. Hado Ho - Sonic Wave 2002 (Textile)
26. Dälek - Abandoned Language (Ipecac)
27. Shrine - Those Endless Fields Of Rust (Drone)
Playlist in Syrovych on Radio 1 Prague (CZ), 13.6.2008
1. Bill Dixon - Entrances (Thrill Jockey)
2. Kiko C. Esseiva - En Rêve (Hinterzimmer)
3. Kiko C. Esseiva - Le Grand Plongeon (Hinterzimmer)
4. RLW + TITO - Dode Varkens En Mooie Moraal (Hinterzimmer)
5. RLW + TITO - Hin (Hinterzimmer)
6. Gunnlaug Thorvaldsdottir - Circulation (Sonic Arts Network)
7. Martyn Jacques - The Pedophile In The Park (Sonic Arts Network)
8. Yasushi Yoshida - Permanent Yesterday (Noble)
9. Yasushi Yoshida - Greyed (Noble)
10. Philip Jeck - Chime Again (Touch)
11. Philip Jeck - Fanfares Over (Touch)
Playlist in Oltre In Confine (Mauro Teho Teardo's Radio Show on) Radio Rai 1 Regionale (I), 7.4.2008
1. Piero Milesi Modi 2 (Cuneiform)
2. Kiko C. Esseiva Voyage En Brise-Glace (Hinterzimmer)
3. Kiko C. esseiva - En Rêve (Hinterzimmer)
4. Kiko C. Esseiva - Pont (Hinterzimmer)
5. Portishead - Nylon Smile (Island)
6. Portishead - Silence (Island)
7. Nicholas Schoffer - Lespace multimedia gantner (Mediathéque Départementale)
8. RLW & TITO - Vertering (Hinterzimmer)
9. RLW & TITO HaHa Super Specialiteiten (Hinterzimmer)
10. RLW & TITO Hin (Hinterzimmer)
Playlist in Jazzmagazin on SWR2 Südwestrundfunk (D), 1.5.2008
1. RLW & TITO HaHa Super Specialiteiten (Hinterzimmer)
2. Lee Konitz - Chorale (Enja)
3. Ulrich Lask - Mete Adens (Nabel)
4. Gerd Bessler - Sokrates Burning Trombone (CC n C)
5. Philip Jeck - Chime Again (Touch)
6. Pure Sound - Moody Bastard Out Drinking (Euphonium)
7. COH plays Cosey - Closer (Raster Noton)
8. David Moss - sings Wittgenstein (Sonic Arts Network)
9. Beta - Taiga (NRW)
10. Bennie Maupin - Not Later Than Now (Cryptogramophone)
11. Barry Adamson - Shadow Of Death Hotel (Central Control)
12. Beta - Lazy (NRW)
13. Bobby Previte - Were You Followed (Palmetto)
14. Tupolev - Rnd2 (Valeot)
15. Plastic Art Foundation - Stone 4 (Golton)
Playlist in Tapage Nocturne on France Musique (F), 23.4.2008
1. Mérédic Collignon - Improlibration (Sonic Arts Network)
2. COH plays Cosey - Mad (Raster Noton)
3. Pita - Get Out Excerpt (Mego)
4. Vince Hunt - Act Of New Noise (Euphonium)
5. RLW & TITO - Fressen, Vergessen (Hinterzimmer)
'Ralf Wehowsky enregistre souvent des albums concepts peu ordinaires
en compagnie d'autres musiciens, sur Mahlzeit il est accompagné d'un
trio germano-hollandais le Trans Industrial Toy Orchestra. Tous munis d'une
impressionnante panoplie d'effets électroniques, de jouets et d'ustensiles ménager
ils ont enregistré un album autour des plaisirs de la table : respiration, mastication,
déglutition, rien ne nous sera épargné et ces bruits que notre éducation nous presse
de dissimuler seront mises en musique sur des manipulations sonores puissantes et précises.
Un album électroacoustique micro tonal, il est vrai peu ragoutant mais fort bien fait édité par
le label suisse Hinterzimmer - (Eric Serva)
Playlist on Resonance 104.4 FM "The Sound Projector radio show" by Ed Pinsent, 28.3.2008
1. Smegma - Porky Section (Harbinger Sound)
2. The Weird Weeds - Lies (Autobus)
3. Blue Gene Tyranny - Next Time Might Be Your Time (Unseen Worlds)
4. Philiph Jeck - Fanfares (Touch)
5. Olekranon - Necropolis (INAM)
6. Kiko C. Esseiva - En Rève (Hinterzimmer)
7. Korperschwache - Fear Of A Black Metal Moustache (INAM)
8. C. Joynes - Night On Djerba (Weavel)
9. Lanterns - Bruised Loser For Lips (Screeching Snowflake)
10. Dale W. Miller & Tony Gordon - Track 6 (Old Gold)
11. Pure Sound - Dialect Poetry (Euphonium)
12. Yoshio Machida - Retrospective Future (Baskaru Karu)
13. Martin Archer - Spun Sugar Barbed Wire (Discus)
14. Dirac C. - Rise And Fall (INAM)
15. Aranos - Saw Womens Rising Fry (Soleilmoon)
16. RLW & TITO - Geschissen ist nicht gemalt (Hinterzimmer)
17. Rothkamm - Encounter With Remarkable Trees (Rothkamm)
18. Alan Licht/Aki Onda - Ship Shape (Family Vineyard)
Playlist in MUMA Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 102.3 FM, 28.3.2008
1. RLW & TITO - Gabentisch Grossstadt (Hinterzimmer)
2. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - Fern Der Hoffnung (Hinterzimmer)
3. Kiko C. Esseiva - Quelque Part Sous Les Etoiles (Hinterzimmer)
4. Yoshio Machida - Scene 5 (Baskaru)
5. Chris Abrahams / Mike Cooper - Oeanic Feeling-like Part Two (Room40)
6. Louis Dufort - Materio 1 (Empreintes Digitales)
7. Pure Sound - Moody Bastard Out Drinking (Euphonium)
8. Pure Sound - To You My Dearest (Euphonium)
9. Pure Sound - Breath Deep, My Love (Euphonium)
10. Pure Sound - Dialect Poetry (Euphonium)
11. Pure Sound - Square Thing (Euphonium)
Playlist in MUMA Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 102.3 FM, 8.3.2008
1. RLW & TITO - Fressen vergessen (Hinterzimmer)
2. Kiko C. Esseiva - Voyage En Brise-Glace (Hinterzimmer)
3. Chris Abrahams / Mike cooper - Oceanic Feeling-Like Part One (Room40)
4. Chris Abrahams / Mike Cooper - Memory Of Water (Room40)
5. The Rational Academy - A Heart Against Your Own (Someone Good)
6. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Arms And Legs Together (Norsondo)
7. Lullatone - Oyasumi (Someone Good)
8. Pure Sound - The Pull Out From Hong Kong (Euphonium)
Kiko C. Esseiva
Reviewed by Multipara in De:Bug (GER), September 2008
Esseiva, Klangkomponist aus Lausanne, faltet in den zehn Tracks diese Hörstücks akustische
Räume und Assoziationen ineinander, dass es nicht nur eine Freude ist, sondern auch schwerfällt,
Vorbilder zu finden, denn die surreale Spannung in Luc Ferraris Kombinationen aus Field Recordings
und Instrumentalkompositionen landen hier auf einer ganz neuen Ebene der Virtuosität.
Sei zweites Album, und dieses führt uns an unsichtbaren Händen vom Treppenhaus in Apfelgehäuse,
in der Barke aus der Badewanne auf den Berggipfel, durch den Rittersaal in die Windmaschine und
endlich mit der Schere ans Klavier; an Händen, die allerlei Instrumentarium entwachsen, vor allem solchem,
das knarrt und schrapt, schabt und kratzt, alles zwischen Tür und herkömmlichem Streichinstrument wird zum
Guiro, hier fast menschlich aufseufzend, dort plötzliche wie eine Propellermaschine in weite Ferne verschwindend,
und all das in lupenreinen Aufnahmen, die mit einem irritierend sensiblen Klanggespür und einem Sinn für erhabene
Wirkung arrangiert sind, und dementsprechend ungemein kraftvoll aus den Boxen springen. Meine Entdeckung des Sommers.
Reviewed by Massimo Ricci on Touching Extremes (I), August 2008
When composers decide that their music will need, in the midst of everything else, environmental or concrete
elements to better depict their vision, they're entering the classic "some folks got it, some folks don't"
territory. Kiko C. Esseiva certainly "got it", as this superb record demonstrates. Esseiva stands among those
sound artists who - like, say, Cedric Peyronnet (aka Toy.Bizarre) - are able to provide an impression of ongoing
life to their structures, thus rendering them not only palatable but also highly gratifying, a sense of delight
hanging on even in the most dramatic sections. Although the sources are definitely too many to be listed or just
guessed - and I know for sure that most soundscapers aren't too anxious to reveal secrets - the essence of
"Sous l'étoiles" is strictly electro/acoustic, in that we perceive the presence of real instruments amidst
the unfamiliar ambiences created by the practised studio handler. Every incident is placed exactly where and
when it should be, episodes succeeding according to a far-sighted architecture that nonetheless tends to forget
rules every once in a while in favour of a healthy anarchy (well-regulated, too). Esseiva's music is "hybrid" in a
very interesting acceptation of the term, in that he constantly meshes the properties and the characteristics of the
chosen bits and pieces to fuse them into a nimble-footed consecutiveness, where a natural occurrence is all but the
obvious consequence of a scheme made of knowledgeable choices and subplots. This is the kind of listening experience
that often leaves with the mouth agape, wanting more when the disc is over. Then it's back to the miserable normality
of "regular" everyday noise.
Reviewed by Nicolas on Tranzistor.gr (GR), August 2008
_ kiko c. esseiva ____ _____ ___ _________ À___À____ ___ _______ ____ _________________ ________, ___ __ ____À____ ___ 'musique pour haut parleurs' ___ manufacture ___ eric boros __ 2004 __ _À______ _À__ ___ __ À_______ sous les etoiles ____ hinterzimmer _À_ __ ___À____ ________/________ ____ 10 _________ ___ __ _________ ___ __ _______ __ ___ À________ ________________ _______ ___À__. __________ ___ ___ _____ _À________ ________ ________. _______ ___ _____ ______________ ____, _ ___ _____ nurse with wound ___ _______ _____ _______ _________________ / À___________ _______/___________ ______ __ _________ ____ _____ ___!!
Reviewed by Keith Moliné in WIRE (GB), July 2008
Swiss/spanish composer Kiko Esseiva follows his 'Musique Pour Haut-Parleurs' debut of 2004 with an assured collection of absurdist miniatures that lie at the opposite end of the spectrum of Wehowsky and TITO's work. Utensils sounded in various ways feature heavily, but the processing, though extensive, leaves their essential character intact. Esseiva has a sly comic touch that makes his collages more involving than the more rigorous 'Mahlzeit'. Purists might deem it pop concrète, but I haven't tittered so much since first heard Nurse With Wound's 'A Sucked Orange' and praise doens't come higher than that.
Reviewed by Jurgen Boel on Goddeau.com (B), July 2008
Drie jaar had de Spaans-Zwitserse Kiko C. Esseiva nodig om zijn tweede album af te werken, al zullen de meesten opmerken dat hij die tijd beter had kunnen spenderen. Sous les étoiles is immers niet direct een hapklare brok popmuziek, in zoverre er ook maar van muziek gesproken kan worden. Esseiva is nog steeds de componist van de moeilijke weg voor wie instrumenten en omgevingsgeluiden samen iets geheel nieuws kunnen vormen dat zich niet gebonden moet weten door zulke vastgeroeste concepten als ritme, noten of melodie. In die schijnbaar willekeurige opeenvolging en opeenstapeling van geluiden schuilt echter een doordacht systeem dat zich slechts met mondjesmaat laat kennen aan hen die bereid zijn zich er voor open te stellen. De 'Prélude' laat alvast het ergste en het beste vermoeden. De opbouw van strakgespannen, barstende snaren klinkt veelbelovend, maar wordt de mond gesnoerd door stemmen, gelach en achtergrondgeluiden die impliceren dat hier een performance gegeven wordt. In de volgende nummers wordt dat gevoel nog versterkt, zo is er het zonder meer vreemde 'Voyage en brise-glace' dat opnieuw minutenlang touwen en snaren strak aanspant alvorens een klaaglijke stem zijn rituele gezang mag invoegen. In 'Quelque part sous les étoiles' volgen dan holle, galmende slagen en fijne kristallen bellen die langzaam opgaan in andere onbestemde klanken, gecreëerd door de rekwisiteur van een luisterspel. De musique concrète krijgt een extra intellectualistische injectie in 'Tout tourne' (niet veel meer dan een vrouwenstem) en het chaotische huzarenstukje 'Danse des toupilles' dat zelfs zonder duidelijke melodie of structuur de aandacht weet vast te houden. De avant-gardistische compositie 'En rêve' grijpt terug naar strijkers, rommelende grondtonen en de bekende onbestemde geluiden van alledag om zijn verhaal te vertellen waarna de grote sprong uitblijft in het verrassend stille 'Le grand plongeon'. Het is haast onmogelijk om dieper in te gaan op 'Pont', 'Sous les étoiles toujours' (ondanks de mooie pianomelodie) of 'Fanfare du fin' zonder eenzelfde onduidelijke taal te gebruiken. Want hoe intrigerend Sous les étoiles ook klinkt, het is geen plaat die zich omschrijven laat zonder in postmodern, pseudo-intellectueel of vaag gewauwel te vervallen. Het lijkt wel of Esseiva er een vreemd genoegen in schept om zijn luisteraars op stang te jagen. Wie aandachtig luistert en de geluiden van alledag weet te vertalen naar 'klassieke instrumenten' hoort immers de muzikale pracht en compositorische inventiviteit die achter de schijnbare chaos van geluiden ligt. Sous les étoiles kan gemakkelijk als snobistische, intellectualistische of vergezochte moeilijkdoenerij afgedaan worden en dat zijn ongetwijfeld terechte verwijten, maar de achterliggende structuur van de nummers verraadt wel een visie die in de meeste popsongs niet te vinden is. Esseiva weet perfect waarmee hij bezig is, de vraag is alleen hoevelen bereid zijn hem te volgen.
Reviewed by Tom Sekowksi in Gaz-Eta (PL), July 2008
Spanish composer Kiko C. Esseiva has a huge interest in electroacoustic work. Having released
"Musiques Pour Haut-Parleurs" [Music for Loudspeakers] four years back, he now returns with
"Sous les étoiles", which translates as Under the Stars. Though the album is a self-contained
work, in many instances, it feels a tad disjointed. Noises, bursts of sounds actually, come and go in spurts.
Perhaps that's the whole purpose of this exercise - to take listeners by surprise and throw as many curveballs
as possible during the work's 42 minute duration. Quiet, oblique but never too dense or overflowing with incidental
throw-away ideas, the album miraculously holds its own. While it lulls the mind in certain respects with its lazy
flowing sounds, there are too many instances, where it doesn't let go of the surprise-factor and the hits keep on
coming from left field. Rattling, dazzling, horrifically packed with stuff, Kiko C. Esseiva's work begs to be enjoyed
on a good set of headphones. Let yourself drown in this world and make it your very own.
Reviewed by Peter Vercauteren in Gonzo (NL), July 2008
Esseiva is een jonge Zwitser met Spaanse roots, die met zijn Musique Concrète een warme groet brengt aan meesters
als Luc Ferrari. De composities van Esseiva zijn samengesteld uit gevonden materiaal (veldopnames, stemmen),
een arsenaal van mishandelde akoestische instrumenten, noise en drones. Hoewel er duidelijk gecomponeerd werd,
klinkt deze cd speels en collageachtig. Natuurlijk doet de mix van gedreun, kapotte muziekdozen en bevreemdende
stemmen denken aan het werk van Nurse With Wound, Andrew Liles of de beginperiod van Zoviet France, maar deze
heren zijn hofleveranciers ten huize (pv), dus ons hoor je niet klagen om en mondje meer.
Reviewd by Tobias Fischer on tokafi.com (GER), June 2008
Walking on the edge with a smile: Melody and harmony enter the musique concrete canvas. Why do we ride a rollercoaster or watch horror movies? Because it seems to be a deeply human sentiment to enjoy walking on the edge and of feeling that irresistible sensation which comes when flirting with danger. On only his second solo album in four years time, Half Spanish, Half-Swiss artist Kiko C. Esseiva attempts recreating these emotions in his music - and without the use of brute force, using gentle persuasion and a clever sense of psychology only. Esseiva has in fact turned a widely acknowledged realisation - that pure sound is the most primordial and immediate stimulus to enter the ear and pierce the brain - from dry theory into a full-on and sympathetically confrontational work of art. It places him directly in line with artists like John Cage, who felt the need to free music from the wounds inflicted by composition and conscious rearrangement and manipulation, while simultaneously heading for something tangibly and promisingly new. 'Sous les etoiles' accordingly leads listeners to a world where the chewing of an apple can represent a Leitmotif, where the pounding of a metal jerry can duets with a Glockenspiel, where creaking doors establish a haunting presence, scissors snap in complex rhythms and swelling organ drones linger in the morning air. As the album progresses, melody and harmony chime in, entering the musique concrete canvas through surrealist brush strokes. 'En Reve' sounds as though a Bach Partita for Violin were forced through a grinder and the almost-title track 'Sous les Etoiles Toujours' places solitarily romantic nocturnal Piano drops amidst an environment of ominously billowing backwards chords. On other occasion, the unusual liaison between traditional musical elements and timbral associations is more implied than openly expressed, but the effect is no less powerful. Of course, these tracks are very much organised and planned. Esseiva balances his elements carefully, placing them side by side both in symbiotic or mutually destructive relations. When cheeky upwards-clicks bounce into attractively slurping noises, the music seems to almost fall apart, but the encounter of a premonitiously dreaming antique clockwork with a continously pounding gong and objects randomly falling into a rubber bucket develops a magical pull. In both cases, though, nothing is left to chance and the pieces display an air of regal precision. Thanks to the naive cut-up vocals of Kirsten Gigase, whose tender voice turns up in the short sketches connecting the longer instrumental pieces, the album, however, manages to escape the dangers of stubborn Academia. 'Tout tourne' ('Everything is turning'), she intones, asking the listener 'Ne faites-vous pas la toupie?' ('Will you not spin round like a top?'). The way she says it, erotic in a cool and reserved way, makes you want to be a child again. It makes these sounds appear to be moving freely and organically. 'Sous les Etoiles' is the aural equivalent of Alice's Wonderland, a space you can only access by eating yourself through a wall made of semolina pudding. It is so close you can almost touch it, without ever fully materialising, dissolving into shiny little crystals instead. Animals are blaring and screaming in the distance, but you can only make out their silhouettes. At times, this sonic painting is slightly disturbing, especially when listened to at night with the curtains closed and the stereo on full capacity. You want to turn the volume down, but you're afraid to move. Whether this sounds appealing or repulsive is up to you. In any case, it is an album which will leave few indifferent, a work which walks on the edge with a smile, knowing quite well that there is nothing to be feared.
Reviewed by Honker in Terz Düsseldorf (D), May 2008
Hier ist erstmal auf das tolle Artwork zu verweisen - das passiert ja auch nicht immer.
Die Musik selbst dann haut total hin: der junge Komponist aus Lausanne produziert großartige
elektroakustische Stücke, die zurecht mit dem warmen und explizit unakademischen Gestus von
Grandmaster Luc Ferrari verglichen werden können. Live werden die sehr unterschiedlichen und
reichhaltigen Klangtexturen über verschieden angesteuerte Raumlautsprecher präsentiert.
Esseiva ist ein fantasievoller und genauer Geschichtenerzähler, der die Hörer von einer
Wunderkammer in die nächste führt. Man stelle sich einen Soundtrack zu Svankmeiers
"Alice in Wonderland"-Tagtraum vor, es würde perfekt passen. Dieses Album gehört zum Besten,
was in diesem Jahr bislang erschienen ist.
Reviewed in Laif (PL), May 2008
Kiko C. Esseiva to szwajcarsko hiszpanskiego pochodzenia mlody kompozytor z Loaznny. Esseiva eksperymentowalz dzwiekim w swoich wczesniejszych live actach grajac material na glosnikach roznej wielkosci i jakosci odseparowujac brzmienia na konsolecie wytwarzal kompozycje o niezwyklej przejzystosci i rozleglosci. Sous Les Etoiels to mix naturalnych instrumentow, halasow, ludzkich glosow umieszczonych na tle statycznych sonicznych plaszczyzn tworzacych abstrakcyjne surrealistyczne kolaze. Kompozycje odzwierciedlaja osnute mrokiem tajemne pracownie adeptow alchemii w trakcie zgrzytajacych i pomrukujacych magicznych procesow. Najbardziej lapidarne utwory to Quelque Party Sous Les Etoiles i En Reve. Oniryczny mroczny klimat intryguje ucho i pobudza wyobraznie zmuszajac do powrotu na druga strone zwierciadla do &. czarnosksieskiego swiata Sous Les Etoiles. (4/5)
Reviewed by Laurent Catala in Octopus (F), May 2008
Il y a quelque chose d'indéniablement attirant dans ce disque de Kiko C. Esseiva. Cette proximité avec la matière sonore, avec ces sources chaudes d'enregistrements saisis dans leurs craquements et autres agissements intimes, comme autant d'organismes captés au stéthoscope ("Voyage en brise-glace", "En rêve"), et évoquant presque les productions précieuses du label Komplott. Il y a aussi cette précision dans la projection sonore et dans le mixage qui rappelle l'un des maîtres probables de ce jeune compositeur helveto-espagnol, à savoir Luc Ferrari. Un mélange de dramaturgie alambiquée et de naïveté concrète qui interpelle par sa gouaille électronique et caustique, à l'évidence totalement décalée mais irrésistiblement prenante. Un sens du détail qui s'insinue insidieusement, jusqu'à devenir poignant à travers le mélange tourbillonnant d'instruments, de bruits abscons et de drones vocales, qui flirte aussi avec les abstractions narratives du Nurse With Wound des débuts, celui de Homotopy to Marie. "Prêt pour le grand plongeon ?" nous demande une voix au début de la pièce du même nom. Question bien inutile alors que l'on trempe déjà jusqu'au cou depuis plusieurs morceaux dans ce bain sonore énigmatique, et que les matériaux auxquels se rattraper pour reprendre son souffle se défilent à chaque mouvement d'oreille.
Reviewed by Roger Batty in Musique Machine, April 2008
Kiko C. Esseiva is a composer with Swiss and Spanish roots who
creates electro acoustic/Musique concrete sound pieces, which are best described as a more conventionally music based version of early Nurse with Wound's work. With a more playful less sinister 'n' surreal vibe to them too, Sous Les Etoiles is his third album and first for relatively new experimental label Hinterzimmer. The tracks use often a harmonic base of droning, sawed or picked string work, looped and effect peddle fed rhythmic elements, piano and slight synth textures. To which's he lays moulds and twists on all manner of multi-lingual texts, monk chants and vocalising. Along with street noise, scissor snips, apple crunchers, creeks 'n' groans, water sounds and all manner of self made and environmental sound. On the whole it's an enjoyable, quirky and a surrealistic cinematic ride though on the downside many of the sounds and way there used have been used many times before by others. I think this is at it's best when Esseiva is concentrating more on the harmonic and drone elements of the tracks and less on the sound elements which just feel at times too clichéd for there own good. I'll certainly be interested to hearing Esseiva future work as when he wants to he can conjure up some dramatic musical & sound lined pieces which create memorable and strange sonic worlds. He just needs to dump of lot of the clichéd over used sound source recordings found on Sous Les Etoiles and I'm sure he'll have the makings of something rather special. 3/5
Reviewed by Jean-François Micard in D-Side (F), May 2008
Pionnier de la musique industrielle et électroacoustique allemande avec son groupe P16.D4,
Ralf Wehowsky n'a jamais cessé d'expérimenter et a entrepris, depuis le début des années 90,
une carrière fructueuse sous l'identité de RLW. Pour son nouveau projet, consacré à la nourriture,
et plus spécifiquement au repas (Mahlzeit signifiant simplement repas), il a collaboré avec le collectif
Transindustrial Toy Orchestra (TITO), qui a enregistré quantité de sons à partir d'objets de cuisine qui
ont ensuite été retravaillées, soit par eux, soit par RLW, créant une sorte de repas déglingué où,
conversations comprises, rien de ce qui se passe sur et autour de la table n'est vraiment normal.
Avec un même goût pour la musique électroacoustique, le Suisse Kiko C. Esseiva compose pour sa part
des pièces où les instruments traditionnels et la voix, en français la plupart du temps, s'allient à
des field recordings et des passages bruitistes pour créer une masse dense et complex. Souvent proche
d'un Nurse With Wound, par ses aspects narratifs, Sous Les Etoiles est un excellent album, à la fois
crispant, ludique et terrible.
Reviewed by Massimiliano Busti in Blow Up issue 120, May 2008
Nonostante Kiko C. Esseiva sia un giovane autore che ha all'attivo solo album pubblicato nel 2004
da Manufracture ('Musique Pour Haut-Parleurs'), questo suo recente lavoro mostra già una sorprendente
maturità nell'arte di elaborare ed assemblare i suoni in forma di coinvolgenti composizioni di musica
concreta. Le suggestioni ereditate dei maestri del genere (da Luc Ferrari a Lionel Marchetti) vengono
rielaborate secondo una sensibilità del tutto personale che privilegia gli elementi narrativi ed un
spiccato cromatismo. I brani rivelano una notevole solennità nel modulare frammenti di archi e rumori
d'ambiente (Le Grand Plongeon), mostrando un 'anima complessa che è specchio di un processo creativo
profondamente meditato. Alcuni passaggi basati sulla reiterazione ciclica e sulla progressiva rarefazione del
suono posiedono inaspettate capacità ipnotiche (Sous Les Etoiles Toujours) e tutto l'album scorre con estrema
fluidità grazie al senso melodico/armonico che si annida fra le sue complesse strutture. (7/8)
Reviewed by Rigobert Digmann in Bad Alchemy (D), May 2008
Sous Les Etoiles (HINT04) ist nach Musiques pour haut-parleurs
(Music For Loudspeakers) und Improvisations / Bricolages I-IV im Split mit Eric Boros (1000+1 Tilt)
eine weitere Manifestation der Kreativität von KIKO C. ESSEIVA in Lausanne. Es ist ein komplexes Werk,
in Szene gesetzt als experimentelles Cinema pour l'oreille, mit einem 'Prélude', 8 Episoden und einer
'Fanfare de fin'. Hervorstechend ist dabei die Plastizität der Klänge, ob knackiger Apfelbiss, knurrige
Drones oder windspielerisches Klimpern. Das erinnert an Hanna Hartmanns Bildprägnanz, geht aber eigene,
geräuschhaftere Wege. Ein weiteres auffälliges Ingredienz sind Stimmen, als gutturale Vokalisation, dann
ein Frauenmund, der den Titel ansagt. Aber auch andere Klänge scheinen per Mund erzeugt zu sein, wenn auch
verfremdet bis zur Unkenntlichkeit zu perkussivem Rippeln, zu Knarren oder Fauchen. 'En rêve' wirkt wie alte
Streichmusik, wobei der Geigenbogen jede Rauheit der Saite übertrieben ausreizt. Aus vielen Fugen flattert,
knarrt und knarzt es, ein Metalldeckel eiert, Wasser gluckert, Dulcimersaiten flickern. Keine Landschaft tut
sich auf, alles ist hier konkreter, detaillierter, informeller, in plastischer Nahsicht vor das Tagtraumauge
gerückt. 'Sous les étoiles toujours' überrascht mit einem Piano, dumpfen Glockendongs, wooshenden Drones,
fragilem Klingklang. Zum Finale erklingt keine Fanfare, sondern kaskadierendes Tamtam, Cymbalschläge, Scherenschnippen,
eine quäkende Hupe, Posaunengeblubber, alles Teil eines surrealen Orchesters der Dinge. Ich drücke gleich mal auf repeat.
Reviewed by Ed Pinsent in The Sound Projector, April 2008
Hinterzimmer Records is also the home to Herpes Ö Deluxe,
a strange Swiss combo whose retrospective CD we reviewed in issue 16. Kiko C. Esseiva
has recorded Sous Les Etoiles (HINT 04) for the label, and a true puzzler it is too; more sound-art than music,
it's a dense construct of strange scraping noises, eerie voice and spoken word passages, and uncanny distant blarts
that might as well be made by some distant mythological horseman blowing into a conch. The quasi-poetic titles involve
stars, fanfares, water, dancing and travels, and the 'En Rêve' track, for me, confirms Esseiva as a born-again follower
of Max Ernst. The sleeve is gorgeous, clever collages and decorative overprintings on a brown card gatefold jacket, plus
a full-colour insert displaying four surreal artwork-assemblages. Label-mate Reto Mäder, who also records as RM74 and
compiled said Herpes CD, did the mastering for this spooky weird dreamscaper.
Reviewed on tiltrecordings.org (Greece)
Kiko's compositions are based on sounds.
Be it from instruments that he uses or from sounds from a door cringing open,
water, or scissors or from voices and spoken word. Regardless of their source,
sounds are elaborately and expertly layed out, or upon one other, constructing
rich and meningfull compositions. And this is what makes kiko esseiva's works
so distinctive: although their source material could fall in the category of
field recording, what comes out is compositions, with specific paths and destinations.
The soundscapes he creates are composite and rich, inviting the listener to follow different
tracks. Like in his previous cd (musiques pour hautes parleurs) musique concrete seems a major
influence, but here he expands his ideas and themes further. A vey fine release, with new things
to be discovered after every listening.
Reviewed by Frans De Waard in Vital Weekly 620, March 2008
At the end of last year I reviewed a CDR releases on Tilt
Recordings by Eric Boros and Kiko C. Esseiva. The latter was unknown
to me and played piano on that release. I never heard his first release,
'Musiques Pour Haut-parleurs', but here's his second solo release 'Sous Les Etoiles'.
Not limited to playing the piano, in fact hardly at all, this is a release to combine
acoustic instruments, noise, voices, field recordings and 'static sheets of sound'.
Hinterzimmer compares it to the likes of Luc Ferrari and older Nurse With Wound, which
indeed make two great places to start investigating this album. Hard to describe this
melting pot of krautrock (without any drumming that is), musique concrete, improvisation
and electronic music. As a whole it's a much more coherent work than the RLW & Tito
release, moving around in all sorts of strangely textured sounds and odd shaped compositions.
It doesn't always have the vivid imagination of Steve Stapleton, but then it's rapid changing
sounds, musique concrete like cutting and pasting of sounds, all in a non academic fashion is
quite nice. Maybe some of the pieces could have used a bit more rigorous editing, but throughout it's nice.
Playlist in Musikpassagen on WDR 3/ Westdeutscher Rundfunk (GER), 5.8.2008
"Mon âme est un paysage choisi" - Seelenlandschaften
1. Dominic Cravic et les Primitifs Du Futur - Je Cherche Après Titine (Harmonia Mundi)
2. Richard Leo Johnson & Gregg Bendian - Looking for Vernon (Cuneiform)
3. Yves Rousseau Quartet feat. Claudia Solal - Le Mannequin (Le Chant du Monde)
4. Bill Frisell - Question (Nonesuch)
5. Kiko C. Esseiva - Prélude (Hinterzimmer)
6. Fred Hersch - Whoever You Are Holding Me Now In Hand (Palmetto)
7. Richard Leo Johnson & Gregg Bendian - Where The River Meets The Hills (Cuneiform)
8. T.10 (M. Ladd, Pamela Z) 0:30
9. Mike Ladd & Pamela Z - Fox ZnZ Friends (Savoy Jazz)
10. João Bosco - Prêt-à-porter de Tafetà (Wrasse)
11. Champion Jack Dupree - Two Below Zero (SPV/Blue Label)
12. Richard Leo Johnson & Gregg Bendian - Swap Meet Sunday (Cuneiform)
13. Piri Thomas - Puerto Rican Identity/I'm Tough/El Miedo (American Clavé)
14. Kiko C. Esseiva - Prélude (Hinterzimmer)
Playlist in MUMA on Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 28.7.2008
1. Kiko C. Esseiva - Prélude (Hinterzimmer)
2. Elsa Justel - Mâts (Empreintes Digitales)
3. John R. Carlson - Gone And Went in November (Parovart)
4. John R. Carlson - Interview
5. Neubau - Den Inre Solvaenda (Nonine)
6. Neubau - rymdmyr (Nonine)
7. Pure Sound - Moody Bastad Out Drinking (Euphonium)
Playlist in Comu on Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 28.7.2008
1. Pure Sound - My Wife Dosent Understand Me (Euphonium)
2. Pure Sound - Breath Deep, My Love (Euphonium)
3. Pure Sound - Square Thing (Euphonium)
4. Pure Sound - submarine - submarine - euphonium
5. Pure Sound - The Legend Of Sam Magee of sam magee (Euphonium)
6. Pure Sound - To You, My Dearest (Euphonium)
7. Louis Dufort - Grain De Sable (Empreintes Digitales)
8. Elsa Justel - Gwertz (Empreintes Digitales)
9. Gilles Gobeil - Ombres, Espaces, Silences (Empreintes Digitales)
10. Davor Mikan - Animal (Crónica)
11. John Young - Arrivederci (Empreintes Digitales)
12. Louis Dufort - Matério_3 (Empreintes Digitales)
13. Kiko C. Esseiva - Voyage En Brise-Glace (Hinterzimmer)
14. Martin Leclerc - L´Odyssée (Empreintes Digitales)
15. Martin Leclerc - Oi´ce pour petites orielles (Empreintes Digitales)
16. Kiko C. Esseiva - Sousous les étouiles toujours (Hinterzimmer)
17. Elsa Justel - Mâts (Empreintes Digitales)
Playlist on NOW Jazz in SWR2/ Südwestrundfunk (GER), 27.6.2008
1. People Like Us - Whithers In The Whist (Plurgo)
2. People Like Us - Dancing In The Carmen (Plurgo)
3. Kiko C. Esseiva - Quelque Part Sous Les Etoiles (Hinterzimmer)
4. Einstürzende Neubauten - I Kissed Glenn Gould (Potomac)
5. Einstürzende Neubauten Vicki (Potomac)
6. Einstürzende Neubauten - Epharisto (Potomac)
7. Einstürzende Neubauten - Magyar Energia (Potomac)
8. Einstürzende Neubauten - Die Libellen (Potomac)
9. Einstürzende Neubauten - Jeder Satz mit ihr hallt nach (Potomac)
10. Alva Noto - U (Raster-Norton)
11. Sonargemeinschaft - All Aboard (Poise Edition)
12. Thomas Christoph Heyde - 3 x Short - 3 x Long (Digital)
13. Nicolas Bernier - Piano (No Type)
14. Einstürzende Neubauten - Ich komme davon (Potomac)
Playlist in Syrovych on Radio 1 Prague (CZ), 13.6.2008
1. Bill Dixon - Entrances (Thrill Jockey)
2. Kiko C. Esseiva - En Rêve (Hinterzimmer)
3. Kiko C. Esseiva - Le Grand Plongeon (Hinterzimmer)
4. RLW + TITO - Dode Varkens En Mooie Moraal (Hinterzimmer)
5. RLW + TITO - Hin (Hinterzimmer)
6. Gunnlaug Thorvaldsdottir - Circulation (Sonic Arts Network)
7. Martyn Jacques - The Pedophile In The Park (Sonic Arts Network)
8. Yasushi Yoshida - Permanent Yesterday (Noble)
9. Yasushi Yoshida - Greyed (Noble)
10. Philip Jeck - Chime Again (Touch)
11. Philip Jeck - Fanfares Over (Touch)
Playlist in Nachtsession on Bayerischer Rundfunk/Bayern 2 Radio (GER), 13.6.2008
1. T-Bone Burnette - Anything I Say Can and Will Be Used Against You (Nonesuch)
2. T-Bone Burnette - Here Come the Philistines (Nonesuch)
3. T-Bone Burnette - The Rat Age (Nonesuch)
4. Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog - Break on Through (Enja)
5. Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog - Midost (Enja)
6. Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog - For Malena (Enja)
7. Firewater - A Place Not So Unkind (Nois-o-lution)
8. Kiko C. Esseiva: Quelque Part Sous Les Etoiles - (Hinterzimmer)
9. Kangding Ray - Apnée. Part II - (Raster_Norton)
10. Einstürzende Neubauten - I Kissed Glenn Gould (Potomac)
11. Einstürzende Neubauten - Vicki (Potomac)
12. Einstürzende Neubauten - Magyar Energia (Potomac)
13. Einstürzende Neubauten - Die Libellen (Potomac)
14. Einstürzende Neubauten - Ich Komme Davon (Potomac)
15. Doug Wimbish - Broadcasting (Enja)
16. Cassandra Wilson - Dust My Broom (Blue Note)
17. Alexander Tucker - Florence Blue (ATP)
18. Alexander Tucker - Omnibaron (ATP)
19. Dub Trio - Not For Nothing (Ipecac)
29. Bill Frisell - Struggle Part 2 (Nonesuch)
21. Scorch Trio - HysBrolt (Rune Grammofon)
22. Animal Collective - Street Flash (Domino)
23. Tindersticks - Yesterday Tomorrows (Beggars Banquet)
24. Spring Heel Jack - Dereks (Thirsty Ear)
Playlist in Radiophon on SWR 2/ Südwestrundfunk (GER), 10.6.2008
1. Spring Heel Jack - Garlands (Thirsty Ear)
2. Andrew Lewis - Danses Acousmatiques (Empreintes Digitales)
3. Saule - Olé (Sub Rosa)
4. Einstürzende Neubauten - 26 Riesen (Potomac)
5. Kiko C. Esseiva - Danse de Toupilles ( Hinterzimmer)
6. Kronos Quartet - Holy Dread (Nonesuch)
7. Kiko C. Esseiva - Voyage en Brise-Glace (Hinterzimmer)
8. Angelo Badalamenti - The Rose and the Daydream (Silva Screen)
9. Andrew Lewis - Llanddwyn Skies (Empreintes Digitales)
10. The Notwist - Where In This World (City Slang)
11. T-Bone Burnette - Telepresence (Nonesuch)
12. Kronos Quartet - Tree Of Life (Nonesuch)
13. Buckethead - Plans Within Plans (ION)
14. Kiko C. Esseiva - Le Grand Plongeon ( Hinterzimmer)
15. Bill Frisell - Question (Nonesuch)
16. Michael Fahres - Sevan (Cold Blue)
17. Kiko C. Esseiva - Quelque Part Sous Les (Hinterzimmer)
18. Chris Mann - I've Heard That One (Sonic Arts Network)
19. Kiko C. Esseiva - Tout Tourne (Hinterzimmer)
20. Andrew Lewis - Penmon Point (Empreintes Digitales)
21. Badawi - Etheric Uprise (Asphodel)
22. Diamanda Galas - Heaven Have Mercy (Mute)
23. Kiko C. Esseiva - Fanfare de Fin (Hinterzimmer)
24. Sawako - Deep Under (12K Records)
25. Badawi - Enter The Etherics (ROIR)
26. COH & Cosey - Closer (Raster Norton)
27. Angelo Badalamenti - Flashback Memories (Silva Screen)
28. Nick Cave - Night of the Lotus Eaters (Mute)
29. Bill Frisell - Tony (Nonesuch)
Playlist in Battiti on RAI 3 (I), 3.6.2008
1. Lucille Bogan - Pot Hound Blues (Sub Rosa)
2. Son Of Dave - Old Times Were Good Times (Kartel)
3. El Topo - Tosca (Off)
4. Vetiver - Hook & Ladder (Fat Cat)
5. Brael/Tokyo Bloodworm - Blue Fields (Moteer)
6. He Can Jog - Agnes (Audiobulb)
7. Mou, Lips! - Still Life(s) Live (and/OAR MOAR)
8. Kiko C. Esseiva - Le Grand Plongeon (Hinterzimmer)
9. Kiko C. Esseiva - En Rêve (Hinterzimmer)
10. Mou, Lips! - Air Ain't Misused (and/OAR MOAR)
11. He Can Jog - Pan-Fried Fern (Audiobulb)
12. Brael/Tokyo Bloodworm - Seed (Moteer)
13. Contortions - Flip Your Face (Lilith)
14. Teenage Jesus And The Jerks - Red Alert (Lilith)
15. DNA - Egomaniac's Kiss (Lilith)
Playlist in Tapage Nocturne on France Musique (F), 23.4.2008
1. Kiko C. Esseiva - Voyage En Brise-Glace (Hinterzimmer)
"Kiko C. Esseiva est un musicien électroacoustique basé à Lausanne et
le label Hinterzimmer fait aujourd'hui paraitre son deuxième album.
Une suite de dix pièces sonores d'une extrême clarté ou les sons
s'unissent et se désunissent avec un sens du rythme et un tel naturel
que l'on peut croire entendre ci et là quelques mélodies. Un album qui
dispose des qualités nécessaires pour charmer les amateurs les plus
exigeants de musiques électroacoustiques dans la lignée de Luc Ferrari
et qui séduira les plus réfractaires leur ouvrant les porte d'un nouvel
univers sonore." (Eric Serva)
2. Tape - Dripstone (Häpna)
3. David Karsten - Falling Down (Fat Cat)
Playlist in Avaruusromua on YLE Radio 1 (FIN), 25.5.2008
1. Verneri Pohjola & Joonas Riippa - Maltodextrin High + Industrial Fry
2. Aki Rissanen - La Lumiere Noire / Gefunden
3. Mikko Innanen - I Have A Dream Bubbling Under
4. Kiko C. Esseiva - Quelque Part Sous Les Etoiles
5. Beehatch - Tis + God Is So Good, God Is So Dub
6. BJ Nilsen & Stilluppsteypa - Scandinavian Tourist
Playlist in Oltre In Confine (Mauro Teho Teardo's Radio Show on) Radio Rai 1 Regionale (I), 7.4.2008
1. Piero Milesi - Modi 2 (Cuneiform)
2. Kiko C. Esseiva - Voyage En Brise-Glace (Hinterzimmer)
3. Kiko C. esseiva - En Rêve (Hinterzimmer)
4. Kiko C. Esseiva - Pont (Hinterzimmer)
5. Portishead - Nylon Smile (Island)
6. Portishead - Silence (Island)
7. Nicholas Schoffer - Lespace multimedia gantner (Mediathéque Départementale)
8. RLW & TITO - Vertering (Hinterzimmer)
9. RLW & TITO - HaHa Super Specialiteiten (Hinterzimmer)
10. RLW & TITO - Hin (Hinterzimmer)
Playlist in Concept muSICK Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 102.3 FM, 26.4.2008
1. Gilles Gobeil - Ombres, Espases, Silences (Empreintes Digitales)
2. Martin Leclerc - Et la ca (Empreintes Digitales)
3. Elsa Justel - Gwerz (Empreintes Digitales)
4. Louis Dufort - Hi Res (Empreintes Digitales)
5. Elsa Justel - Du libe tu? (Empreintes Digitales)
6. John Young - Arrivederci (Empreintes Digitales)
7. Kiko c. Esseiva - Voyage En Brise-Glace (Hinterzimmer)
8. Gilles Gobeil - Le Miroir Triste (Empreintes Digitales )
Playlist in La Noche Inventada on Scanner FM (E), 17.4.2008
1. Steve Reich - I Saw A Dream
2. Autechre - The PLC
3. Rioji Ikeda - Test Pattern#0100
4. COH - Near You
5. Housemeister - Hallo Lieblingsmensch
6. Tadeo - Cincurbalation
7. Daedalus - Touchtone
8. Philip Jeck - Fanfares
9. Kiko C. Esseiva - Fanfare De Fin
10. Willits & Sakamoto - Chi-Yu
11. Tupolev - Nothing's Gonna Happen
12. Yasushi Yoshida - Greyeed
13. Acid Mother's Temple - Dalai Lama
Playlist in Electromania on France Musique (F), 17.4.2008
1. Patrick Portella - Matjapat Song
2. Tangtype - Blank, Lackluster Eyes
3. Szkieve - Le songe de R.E.A.
4. Kiko C. Esseiva - Voyage En Brise-Glace
5. Alexei Borisov & Anton Nikkila - Engineer Strepetov's Curve
6. Machinefabriek - Found In Translation
7. Philip Jeck - Hindquarters
8. Yoshio Machida - Camouflage
9. Elsa Justel - Gwerz
10. Zavoloka - Plavyna
Playlist in MUMA Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 102.3 FM, 8.4.2008
1. Kiko C. Esseiva - Danse Des Toupilles (Hinterzimmer)
2. Yoshio Machida - Camouflage (Hinterzimmer)
3. Louis Dufort - Hi_Res (Empreintes Digitales)
4. Louis Dufort - Interview
5. Yoshio Machida - Silhouette (Baskaru)
6. Lullatone - The Bathtime Beat (Someone Good)
7. The Rational Academy - 2004 (Someone Good)
Playlist in Concept muSICK Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 102.3 FM, 8.4.2008
1. Brandon Labelle & James Webb - Foyer (Room 40)
2. Kiko C. Esseiva - Prélude (Hinterzimmer)
3. Louis Dufort - Mmaterio_1 (Empreintes Digitales)
4. ErikM - 7 (Room 40)
5. @c - 61 (Crónica)
6. @c - interview
7. Louis Dufort - Materio_2 (Empreintes Digitales)
8. Louis Dufort - Materio_3 (Empreintes Digitales)
Playlist on Resonance 104.4 FM "The Sound Projector radio show" by Ed Pinsent, 28.3.2008
1. Smegma - Porky Section (Harbinger Sound)
2. The Weird Weeds - Lies (Autobus)
3. Blue Gene Tyranny - Next Time Might Be Your Time (Unseen Worlds)
4. Philiph Jeck - Fanfares (Touch)
5. Olekranon - Necropolis (INAM)
6. Kiko C. Esseiva - En Rève (Hinterzimmer)
7. Korperschwache - Fear Of A Black Metal Moustache (INAM)
8. C. Joynes - Night On Djerba (Weavel)
9. Lanterns - Bruised Loser For Lips (Screeching Snowflake)
10. Dale W. Miller & Tony Gordon - Track 6 (Old Gold)
11. Pure Sound - Dialect Poetry (Euphonium)
12. Yoshio Machida - Retrospective Future (Baskaru Karu)
13. Martin Archer - Spun Sugar Barbed Wire (Discus)
14. Dirac C. - Rise And Fall (INAM)
15. Aranos - Saw Women's Rising Fry (Soleilmoon)
16. RLW & TITO - Geschissen ist nicht gemalt (Hinterzimmer)
17. Rothkamm - Encounter With Remarkable Trees (Rothkamm)
18. Alan Licht/Aki Onda - Ship Shape (Family Vineyard)
Playlist in MUMA Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 102.3 FM, 28.3.2008
1. RLW & TITO - Gabentisch Grossstadt (Hinterzimmer)
2. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - Fern Der Hoffnung (Hinterzimmer)
3. Kiko C. Esseiva - Quelque Part Sous Les Etoiles (Hinterzimmer)
4. Yoshio Machida - Scene 5 (Baskaru)
5. Chris Abrahams / Mike Cooper - Oeanic Feeling-like Part Two (Room40)
6. Louis Dufort - Materio 1 (Empreintes Digitales)
7. Pure Sound - Moody Bastard Out Drinking (Euphonium)
8. Pure Sound - To You My Dearest (Euphonium)
9. Pure Sound - Breath Deep, My Love (Euphonium)
10. Pure Sound - Dialect Poetry (Euphonium)
11. Pure Sound - Square Thing (Euphonium)
Playlist in MUMA Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 102.3 FM, 8.3.2008
1. RLW & TITO - Fressen vergessen (Hinterzimmer)
2. Kiko C. Esseiva - Voyage En Brise-Glace (Hinterzimmer)
3. Chris Abrahams / Mike cooper - Oceanic Feeling-Like Part One (Room40)
4. Chris Abrahams / Mike Cooper - Memory Of Water (Room40)
5. The Rational Academy - A Heart Against Your Own (Someone Good)
6. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Arms And Legs Together (Norsondo)
7. Lullatone - Oyasumi (Someone Good)
8. Pure Sound - The Pull Out From Hong Kong (Euphonium)
Herpes Ö DeLuxe
Reviewed by Ed Pinsent in The Sound Projector Issue
16, December 2007
Pretty excellent; I never heard anything by these Swiss
weirdoes before, but had been vaguely aware of their name
and assume they had some credible cult status. They appear
to be very peculiar European experimenters, and over ten
years built up a sizeable archive of tape recordings (this
CD compiles some of them selected from 1997-2005), and
they masquerade under odd alias names – Von Wurstfinger,
Hess, BlindDoc and Roger.Z. So far I could happily file
them alongside many other obscure European avant-nutsoid
collectives whose low profile makes it hard to establish
their true identity, such as H.N.A.S., Faust, Nature And
Organisation, De Fabriek or Noise-Maker’s Fifes.
This record however is not as ‚menacing’ as
you might be led to expect from a list like that –
it’s just bizarre. They’re not quite a band;
the Herpsters clearly play some musical instruments, but
they live in the studio and are far more interested in
treatments and processes, working with tapes like jigsaw
puzzle, building strange collaged episodes, conjuring
imaginary landscapes and dreams. Just listen to ‚Funkenflug’,
only the second track in, and you’ll either be up
there with the angels or else struggling to wake up from
this queasy ‚cauchemar’ of cheese-induced visions.
It’s like a curious journey through a rain-drenched
forest with sopping wet boots, surrounded by unknown scaly
reptiles hissing at you, while an ever-changing background
of coloured skies rolls by overhead. A very oppressive
atmosphere hangs heavy over this one, not relieved by
the dense church organ, sampled classical music, and other
instrumental snatches. These Swiss fellows use a highly
labour-intensive, almost wasteful technique; each of their
‚structured sound monuments’ are created out
of the sweat and tears of rehearsals and recording sessions,
only to end up being performed live once (or maybe twice).
A lot of their work is just stored away on magnetic tapes
in their private archive. It was Reto Mader, who also
calls himself rm74, who wanted to rescue some of these
buried tapes and compile something like their ‚greatest
hits’. Along the way he extracted these out-takes
and unfinished works, and couldn’t resist adding
post-production touches of his own. This is the closest
this combo of low-profilers has come to a collaboration.
With ‚Tief Unten’ we’re on slightly more
familiar turf as we endure a five-minute stretch of relentless
dark electronica that mutates into an evermore menacing
cloud of gloom and paranoia after the reassuring voice-segment
of the German announcer at the start suddenly vanishes.
But her clinical voice keeps resurfacing in this, a latterday
update on Pink Floyd’s ‚On The Run’ which
delivers the sort of distressed mental anguish that Roger
Waters can only dream about. ‚Boiled Rice’ is
also mostly electronic, built around the colliding patterns
and skeins of sequencers and analogue synths,while ‚Ruhig
Stellen’ makes more use of field recordings and overlapping
voice snatches suspended in a lightly droning soup of
organ notes. The rest of the album is mostly slow and
sludgy drone-fests, making the opening track ‚Fern
der Hoffnung’ something of an odd man out; it’s
seven-minutes of plodding stripped-down electronic rhythm
which (but for the addition of some hamfisted drumming)
would not be out of place on the Faust ‚So Far’-LP.
The piece is a showcase for a surreal, whispered monologue,
which is normally the sort of thing that (like listening
to someone tell you a dream they had last night) bores
me to distraction, but here it’s all part of the
general disorientation scheme. While this record may not
satisfy your thirst for truly dark and alarming schizophrenic
narratives, it delivers many a bucket of brain-food for
the mental-mush of all good maladjusted. Slightly ‚odd’
cover art shows collage of a fish not quite out of the
water, yet not quite in it… work that one out.
Review by Steffen B. Pedersen on www.geiger.dk
(Denmark), September 2007
I mere end ti år har den schweiziske kvartet, der lyder
det yderst appetitlige navn Herpes Ö DeLuxe, arbejdet
med langstrakte kompositioner, som bl.a. har været udsat
for båndsløjfer og specielt ombyggede turntables. Meget
af den messende og billedskabende, til tider ambiente,
til tider ganske voldsomme musik, kernemedlemmerne Von
Wurstfinger, Hess, BlindDoc og Roger.Z har skabt, er imidlertid
enten forblevet helt i arkiverne eller spillet live ved
ganske få lejligheder. For et stykke tid siden fik lydkunstneren
Reto Mäder - alias rm74 - imidlertid adgang til gruppens
arkiver, hvorefter han gav sig til at stykke bidder af
det sammen til et album med kortere, mere pointerede forløb
end de halv- eller heltimelange kompositioner, der efter
sigende skulle kendetegne det for mig hidtil ukendte orkesters
output. Det er der nu kommet albummet Kielholen ud af,
der samtidig er startskuddet for det nystartede Bern-selskab
Hinterzimmer. Og et ganske interessant stykke patchwork
er det unægteligt lykkedes for Mäder at skabe. I sig selv
er den type musik, Herpes Ö DeLuxe skaber, mindst lige
så kroget og surreel, som den knytter sig an til nyere
genrer som noise eller netop ambient. Faktisk får den
mig nærmest til at tænke på freakede elektroniske 70'er-navne
som The Residents eller måske i endnu højere grad det
helt tidlige Cabaret Voltaire, som det er dokumenteret
på albummet 1974-76. Der er bestemt, som hos dem, både
nik til f.eks. Salvador Dali (de absurde både humoristiske
og urovækkende sammenstillinger af reallyde) og beatguruen
William S. Burroughs (båndsløjferne, de abrupte cut-ups,
den altid lurende paranoia). Men produktionen er unægteligt
mere state of the art end hos Cabaret Voltaire, der indspillede
på et loftsværelse med et latterligt minimum af udstyr,
ligesom den opfindsomme anvendelse af turntables antyder
et vist kendskab til den rolle, dette "instrument" har
spillet for nyere japansk avantgardemusik. Hos Burroughs
var selve idéen med cut up-metoden at undergrave, ja,
opløse gængs logik. Hos Dali var missionen at sætte drømmenes
og underbevidsthedens ind i stedet. Begge dele må siges
at lykkes glimrende for Mäder og Herpes Ö DeLuxe, for
Kielholen giver, med sine mange stemningsskift og lydlag,
der enten brat eller metamorfisk skydes ind og ud af hinanden,
ikke mening i gængs forstand. Heller ikke selvom albummet
er domineret af sindige flows og, som sagt, en gennemgående
truende tone. Men omvendt giver det masser af mening,
eftersom det er en masse i sig selv. Det er en stadig
opdagelsesrejse gennem et forrevet urbant landskab, hvor
speakerstemmer strømmer forstyrrende ud af havarerede
bilers radioer, fjerne maskiner maler knogler i nærheden,
metal hviner i mørket, defekte synthesizere kaster desperate
klange af sig på lossepladsen og grammofoner suser tomt
ud af vinduerne i lejligheder, hvor beboerne for længst
er døde af ukendte årsager. Ikke at der ikke fornemmes
et stærkt element af fryd eller ligefrem leg i musikken:
Det er netop det fine ved den. Lige så sort, albummets
univers er, lige så underspillet humoristisk er tonen
i det faktisk. Der leges næsten sadistisk med lytterens
tilstand: Snart lulles man hen, snart tordner en krads,
skrattende støjkaskade igennem. Det ene øjeblik tror man,
at man har afluret det nummer, man er ved at høre - det
næste kuldsejles ens overbevisning af noget helt nyt og
ganske upassende. Som proces - og som helhed - giver Kielholen
fuld mening ved netop ikke at gøre det. Derfor er det
også meningsløst at bryde de syv numre ned i detaljer.
De flyder ud i hinanden, hvilket jo plejer at være et
vink med en vognstang om, at de bør betragtes under ét.
Og det skal de.
Review by Guillermo Escudero on www.loop.cl (Chile),
June 2007
This is a four piece Swiss band formed in 1995 by Von
Wurstfinger, Christopher Hess [aka Strotter Inst.], BlindDoc
and Roger.Z that create a harsh electronic and noisy ambience
in an electroacoustic vein, with the use of self-built
or transformed instruments like turntables and tape loops,
analogue means and found objects: car engines, water,
machines, voices, amongst others indescribable sounds.
The seven tracks on this CD were excerpts from 1997-2005
selected by rm74 aka Reto Mäder [Hinterzimmer’s label
founder] who compiled, produced and assembled and made
contributions as a guest musician. 'Kielholen' gathers
an intricate, intense and a sense of intimacy, with pulsing
beats and clattering percussion. This album ends with
a wall of horrifying noises that give life to a dark soundscape.
Review by T TM in Black 3/07, May 2007
Reto Mäder alias rm74 arbeitet sich durch das Archiv unveröffentlichter
Live-Aufnahmen und Recording-Sessions der Schweizer Elektroniker
Herpes Ö DeLuxe. Aus den sonst eher einstündigen Tracks
der Berner sucht er Auszüge, die Songcharakter besitzen,
atmosphärischer Noise, pulsierende Elektronik, dronige
Mantras: Mäder setzt sie zu romantisch schwingenden Ambient-Mitsumm-Songs
zusammen. Und wieder beeindruckt die stoische Monumentalität
der warmen Analogelektronik von Herpes Ö DeLuxe. Was für
Feldaufnahmenfreunde und Behäbigkeitsjünger.
Review by Joachim in Trust 04/07, April 2007
Es kommt eigentlich selten vor, dass ich zwei verschiedene
Releases in einem Review zusammenfasse, denn es wird dem
einzelnen Stück nicht gerecht, aber hier macht es Sinn.
Hinterzimmer ist ein neues Label aus der Schweiz und beide
CDs zeigen wohl an, wo der Hase hinhoppelt. Herpes Ö DeLuxe
dürften dem einen oder anderen u.a. durch das Release
mit Reverend Beatman aus dem letzten Jahr bekannt sein.
Haben sie sich dort jedoch dem, sagen wir mal "Voodoo
Rhythm LoFi Rock’n’Roll” unterworfen, kommt hier die eigentliche
Musik der Band zum Vorschein. Prima Mix aus Field Recordings,
Loops, Drones und Ambient Electronix. Keine Scheibe, um
mal schnell den Beat zu kriegen, vielmehr etwas zum Zuhören
und im Geiste Bilder malen. Alle schwätzen von Hörbüchern
und lassen sich gerne mal was von Platte erzählen. Hier
ist es ähnlich. Mit dem Unterschied, das jeder seine eigene
Geschichte sich ausdenken kann. Wecker, Getriebe, Sprachfetzen,
untermalt von elektronischen Geräuschen kommen, verschwinden,
setzen sich zusammen um sich genauso schnell wieder zu
zersetzen. Erinnert strichweise an die von mir sehr geschätzten
"Parking Non-Stop” aus Wales, die die Sache jedoch etwas
poppiger angehen. Hier eher eine dichte Atmosphäre, die
sich lange Zeit lässt um vom einen zum anderen zu kommen,
Spannend.
RM74 aka Reto Mäder schöpft aus ähnlichen Quellen, geht
aber extremer zur Sache. Bedrohlicher, experimenteller.
Es zischt, rauscht und entwickelt sich zu einem Wall Of
Noise, um auch irgendwann mal in ein Piano Part zu zerfallen.
Oft sind die Geräusche nicht unmittelbar zuzuordnen und
es macht Laune, sich den Ursprung auszudenken. Nein, ebenfalls
keine Platte zwischen Tür und Angel. Ab auf den Sessel,
am besten Kopfhörer überstülpen und die ganze Sache laufen
lassen. Auch spannend. Das Label muss man unbedingt im
Auge behalten.
Review by Massimo Ricci in Touching Extremes, April
2007
Hailing from Bern, Switzerland, Herpes O Deluxe work with
analog electronics, tape loops, old turntables and self-built
instruments to raise some serious hell, well symbolized
by the many "terrible” sounds featured in this attention-calling
release. Progressions of slurred fantasies reach apexes
of epic proportion, while deformations of uncatchable
memories are left under the rain in stinky alleys. During
an eternal symphony for the disapperance of hope, all
of a sudden tapes accelerate trying to escape an inevitable
deoxidation process, the music reminding us of a forgotten
past swallowed by a mangling machine, then an aeroplane
is heard taking off from within a desolate church. Electronic
ingrowths overwhelm the voices of unsatisfied women who
are heading straight to the nearest mental health center;
one feels like shouting in despair. Seagulls cry while
flying over a polluted river, forgetting their destination
and concluding their trip in a furnace’s chimney, accompanied
by an amoebic version of Philip Glass. In another track,
Donald Duck gets massacred with a chainsaw. In "6”, a
caressing frequency seems to appear as an error, but it
is soon covered with the dirt generated by deconstructed
mechanical bats. The disc’s final part reminds of the
glorious times of Cold Meat Industry (Morthound, are you
still there?). A great, great album that positively surprised
even this old curmudgeon.
Review by Frans de Waard in Vital Weekly 567, March
2007
It’s been quite a while since we reviewed the first CD
by Herpes Ö Deluxe ("Havarie” in Vital Weekly 369), which
by itself was strange to see. The band has been active
for more than 10 years at the time, but it took ages to
get around releasing anything. Plus then: nothing. Until
now. "Kielholen”, released on a new Swiss label called
"Hinterzimmer”, is their second release. Herpes Ö Deluxe
is a four piece group playing analogue synthesizers, tape-loops,
turntables and voices. Normally their pieces are "structured
sound monuments” that easily last thirty to fifty minutes.
Perhaps that’s the reason why they don’t release much.
Reto Mäder, also known as RM74, proposed to make a selection
of the best excerpts from these compositions and in the
process of post production he added some material of his
own. It’s of course unclear now how an entire sound monument
sounds from Herpes Ö Deluxe, but the six excerpts are
much along the lines of their first CD. Ambient industrial
music. Music that is not harsh, but also unsettling enough
to avoid the ambient tag. Music that develops slowly,
but builds in tension through the evolution of a piece.
Slow rhythms, the mumbling of voices (is that Willem de
Ridder in the first piece), small melodies swirl around.
These are the ingredients that Herpes Ö Deluxe work with
and they do an absolute fine job, if not a bit retro.
Again, like before, the name Illusion Of Safety came to
mind, especially their late 80s/early 90s period, but
also more musique concrete projects such as early THU20
and P.Children. But then I thought: probably not many
people remember that, so let them check out Herpes Ö Deluxe
for some finer harsher cross-over of musique concrete
and industrial music.
Review by Matthias in Music-Scan, February 2007
Die Berner Formation Herpes Ö DeLuxe hat mit ihrer Veröffentlichung
"Kielholen” ein düsteres Etwas geschaffen, dass sich meist
über sehr reduzierte, minimalistisch stampfende Rhythmiken
entwickelt und sich davon ausgehend, komplex, aber niemals
überladene Soundscapes entwickeln, die stets den Grundton
des Bedrohlichen mit sich führen. Songtitel wie "Fern
der Hoffnung”, "Tief Unten” oder "Ruhig Stellen” sprechen
eine nicht minder deutliche Sprache, wenn es um die atmosphärische
Einordnung der sieben Songs auf der ersten Veröffentlichung
des gerade gegründeten Hinterzimmer Labels geht. Das Quartett
greift dabei auf verschiedene analoge und digitale Mittel
zur Klangmodellierung zurück, wobei man schon auch mal
selbst Hand anlegt bei der Konstruktion von "Instrumenten”.
Hinter den breitflächigen Noisewänden entstehen immer
wieder neue Drones, die durchaus auch gewisse harmonische
Linien beziehungsweise Verortungspunkte liefern. Herpes
Ö DeLuxe lassen aus dem scheinbaren Chaos immer wieder
klare Strukturen entstehen, die weniger im Bruch oder
der Dekonstruktion, sondern durch die fortlaufende Entwicklung
und Veränderung ihren Ausdruck finden. Das Ganze türmt
sich dann schon mal in sehr intensive dynamische Höhen
auf, wobei gerade der Wechsel zwischen verschiedenen Intensitätsniveaus
hier den Reiz des Albums ausmacht, den die Band mit Hilfe
von Reto Mäder aka rm74 auf "Kielholen” sehr ansprechend
ausgelotet haben. (8/10)
Review by J.R.in Public Guilt, February 2007
I love Herpes Ö DeLuxe and I hope that the rest of the
world falls in love with them as well. For those who do
not know, Herpes is an amazing four man Swiss, sound collective
(that includes I’s very own Strotter Inst. aka Christoph
Hess). Their countless discs, collaborations and side
projects continue to blow my mind and their contribution
to the upcoming 3CD comp will have you begging for more.
Kielholen, their latest offering collects unreleased recordings
from 1997 to 2005 and was curated and assembled by Hinterzimmer’s
own RM74 (aka electro-acoustic artist, Reto Mäder) This
is my favorite material from Herpes and a great starting
place for those unfamiliar. Do yourself a favor and "Support
your local virus!”
Review by Chris Wilpert in Ox Fanzine, February
2007
Herpes Ö DeLuxe haben letztes Jahr schon auf sich aufmerksam
gemacht, als sie zusammen mit Reverend Beat-Man als Church
of Herpes eine der besten Platten des Jahres vorgelegt
haben. Da es die Schweizer Industrial- und Electrokrachmacher
schon eine Weile - seit 1995 - gibt, hat das Label Hinterzimmer
Records sein erstes Release gleich zum Anlass genommen,
um die Gruppe überblicksmässig mit sieben Songs (die alle
fünf bis sieben Minuten dauern) vorzustellen. Dabei handelt
es sich bei "Kielholen” aber nicht um eine Best-Of-CD,
sondern es versammeln sich darauf sowohl unveröffentlichte
Stücke als auch andere Versionen von bereits veröffentlichten
Sachen - all das teilweise freilich in gekürzten Versionen,
da die einzelnen Kompositionen häufig mehr als 30 Minuten
dauern. Diese Verkürzung tut den Werken aber keinen Abbruch,
macht es für den Hörer zum Einstieg vielleicht auch leichter,
leicht geniessbar sind sie trotzdem nicht. Wie die Kollaboration
mit dem Reverend schon erahnen hat lassen, bewegen sich
Herpes Ö DeLuxe im Fahrwasser von experimenteller Elektronik,
harschem Industrial, Ambient und Klangkunst, kein Wunder,
dass dabei allerhand unübliches Equipment vom Wecker bis
hin zu Küchengeräten zum Einsatz kommt. Wo sonst auf jeder
zweiten Platte "laut hören!” darauf steht, ist es hier
auf jeden Fall vonnöten, wenn man denn die Nerven hat,
diese monoton-rhythmischen, sehr düsteren Lärmkompositionen
zu ertragen. Aber laut Hören ist Pflicht! Und dann wird
man die Schweizer entweder Kielholen wollen oder lieben.
(8 Punkte von 10)
Review by Tom Sekowski in GAZ-ETA, February 2007
Herpes Ö DeLuxe is a Swiss band who has been hopping the
fields of atmospheric noise, electronica and harsh sounds
for the last decade. "Kielholen” is their debut for RM74’s
Hinterzimmer imprint and presents a sombre archive of
some of their work done between 1997 and 2005. Considering
the band usually builds up momentous 30 to 50 minute pieces,
having their work edited down to song length is a let
down. With that said, this record is not meant to be a
"best of” collection but a means to preserve some pieces
that would simply disappear in the band’s archives. As
they’re found in their edited forms, the sounds walk a
fine line between utter noise, industrial sounds and atmospheric
electronics. Considering Mäder produced the record, he
allowed himself the liberty to use an organ. "Ruhig Stellen”
features an overabundance of organ sustain, while devilish
vocals drown underneath a thick smegma of indiscernible
electric wails. One of the better moments arrives on "Boiled
Rice”, where a thinly veiled organ is pushed into a walloping,
thickly distorted soup. The final track features bits
and pieces of percussion that is echoed in a cavernous
room. All tracks are equally dreary. No surprise that
no joyful rays of sun peer through the clouds, which means
the mood is overbearing and gloomy. My only concern is
the CD could have been utilized to its fullest. In clocking
at just over 40 minutes, it leaves out much work the quartet
released that may interest other newcomers. Coming straight
out of the deepest, darkest pits of hell, isn’t it time
you too got acquainted with these sounds?
Review in Bad Alchemy, Feburary 2007
Havarie von Herpes Ö DeLuxe gehörte zu meinen Favoriten
2003. Die vier Schweizer, deren Künstlernamen Von Wurstfinger,
Hess, BlindDoc & Roger.Z eigentlich alles andere versprechen,
hatten sich als Regisseure von markantem Cinema pour l'oreille
entpuppt. Ihr Landsmann Reto Mäder aka rm74 hat nun in
ihrem Archiv der Jahre 1997-2005 gekramt und aus Exzerpten
ihrer typischerweise längeren Stücke die Kompilation Kielholen
(Hint01) geformt. Nicht nur die Auswahl, auch die Postproduction
trägt seine Handschrift, so dass man nicht Herpes Ö DeLuxe
direkt hört, sondern quasi durch Mäders Augen und Ohren
gefiltert. Der Schwerpunkt liegt so weniger auf den cineastischen
und epischen Elementen als vielmehr auf den "Song-Qualitäten
der 7 Ausschnitte. Die beim hinkenden Beat von "Fern der
Hoffnung" und seinem tickenden Wecker oder dem rhythmischen
Fetzer "Tief unten” auf der Hand liegen. Zerzauste wie
"Ruhig stellen” fesseln mit vocal samples, vor allem wenn
sie nicht wirklich zu verstehen sind, so dass die Phantasie
einen Satzfetzen wie "Ein unbedeckter Kopf..." oder "Alles
Komische..." selbst zu ergänzen versucht. "Funkenflug"
und "Im Moos" prasseln zuerst wie Feuer, bevor sich ersteres
orchestral anreichert und letzteres zu einem Marschtritt
zurecht loopt und schließlich beide Illusionen in Rauschen
und Fauchen und einem monotonen Automatenbeat untergehen.
Das dröhnminimalistische "Boiled Rice” wird durchzogen
von pfeifenden und sirrenden Loops, die ineinander rotieren.
Bei "Nichtsdestotrotz" klopft das Schicksal an wie die
Pauken eines Trauermarsches, der Vordergrund dröhnt und
flattert und feine Ohren mögen sogar die Geisterstimmen
wispern hören, die das kataklystische Gebrause und Geknirsche
durchzischeln.
Review in Gonzo Magazine 07/07
Het electro-akoestisch oor van Reto Mäder slaapt nooit.
Zeker niet wanneer het geconfronteerd wordt met middenklassentuinen
of the plichtbewuste tramconductrices. Veldopnames en
lawaaierige installaties worden opgezogen in flarden gemanipuleerde
en pure klanken van een breed instrumentarium (van zowat
alle snaarinstrumenten over trombone tot papier). Op de
cd 'Pirouetten' wordt samengewerkt met RLW (P16.D4), wat
leidt tot een boeiende mix van zuivere musique concrete,
dreunexperimenten en een onverwachte ritmische uitspatting.
Het gelimiteerde kleinood is mooi verpakt in een transparant
A5 doosje met één boomfoto voor elke tracktitel. Dezelfde
namen, een identiek verpakkingsformaat en een nog uitgebreider
klankenpalet (harp, ontstemde bas) vinden we terug op
de ambitieuze dubblecd 'Fireproof In 8 Parts'. Mäder duikt
ook op als gastmuzikant op de cd 'Kielholen' van zijn
labelmaatje Herpes Ö DeLuxe. Al is het woord gastmuzikant
een onderschatting van de feiten: Mäder kreeg onbeperkt
toegang tot een archief van improvsatiematieraal, plakte
één en ander aan elkaar en voegde ook eigen klanken toe.
Stemmetjes en vervormde concrete geluiden verdrinken in
een dreunbad waar gecomponeerde nevenklanken (defecten)
hen uit hun slaap houden. Herpes Ö DeLuxe is onderschat,
ondergewaardeerd en vliegt al jaren net onder de radar
van de dronekenners. Het is uw verdomde plicht om hier
onverwijld verandering in te bringen.
Review by Alfredo Rastelli in Sands-Zine, May,
2007
Hinterzimmer è la nascente etichetta discografica formata
dagli svizzeri Reto Mäder (già conosciuto come RM74, trovate
la recensione del suo precedente disco negli archivi)
e Roger Ziegler. Quest’ultimo fa parte del collettivo
Herpes Ö Deluxe il cui "Kielhole” è anche il primo lavoro
licenziato dalla label. L'esperimento è interessante è
nasce così: il gruppo è un quartetto di Berna attivo già
da un decennio, dedito alla realizzazioni di sonorità
che spaziano dal noise all’industrial, all’elettronica,
ottenute con modalità che prevedono: 1) l’uso di strumentazioni
varie (si va dagli aggeggi analogici ad altri autocostruiti),
2) la decostruzione di loops e turntables e 3) l’utilizzo
delle drum machine. Le suite scaturite da tutto questo
ben di dio sono sempre state suonate una, al massimo due
volte, prima di essere archiviate, dando così sempre la
priorità allo sviluppo in divenire del loro universo sonoro.
"Kielholen” viene fuori dall’interessamento di RM74, Reto
Mäder, il quale, operando una scelta sul vasto catalogo
della band, ha preparato una sorta di "best moments” (ritoccando
anche qua e la, nella produzione), risultante omogeneo
ed interessantissimo. A fare da sbarramento ad eventuali
deragliamenti sonori, c’è la predominante componente post-industrial
(Im Moos) che, insieme ai frammenti di ambient isolazionista
(inquietante la lynchiana di Funkenflug), ai drone elettronici
come beat di fondo (notevole il crescendo in Tief Unten),
e alle istanze minimaliste (Ruhig Stellen), permeano tutto
il disco di un atmosfera apocalittica e ipnotica niente
affatto distante da quella creata dai Loop Orchestra (se
fossero un collettivo elettronico).
Review by Laurent Catala in Octopus, March 2007
Parfois comparé à Lustmord, le quatuor suisse Herpes Ö
Deluxe se complaît dans une approche dark-ambient croisant
expérimentations électro-acoustiques et digressions noise
atmosphériques sous des lueurs industrielles blafardes.
Une approche beaucoup plus artisanale donc que celle du
musicien américain, confortée par l’utilisation d’un matériel
analogique fourni mais également par la complicité de
machines construites par leurs propres soins, selon un
déterminisme volontairement organique de la masse sonore
produite. Kielholen se dévoile donc avec une progressivité
rampante, alanguie, en étirant à l’envi ses longs paysages
sonores mêlant bandes sons urbaines et impressionnisme
romantique noir dans des scénarios au raffinement plombé.
Une plongée aspirante dans une mise en abîme sonore délicieusement
intemporelle.
Review by Nicola Catalano in Blow Up, March 2007
Fosse uscitouana quindicina d’anni fa, in piena temperi
post-industrial, il nuovo disco degli svizzeri Herpes
Ö DeLuxe avrebbe probabilmente fatto il botto. Oggi che
quegli stessi suoni sono di fatto ampiamente datati (istituzionalizzati?),
sennoché li si consideri prodromi di un revival prossimo
venturo o vintage ex novo, si deve comunque plaudire alla
competenza del quartetto di Berna nell’assemblaggio di
un potente concentrato brutista. Complice il collega Reto
Mäder, che va a rovistare negli archivi della formazione
per estrarne materiale inedito da riplasmare ad hoc, la
macchina del tempo approntata dai nostri funziona egregiamente
nelle definizione di una generale atmosfera di torvo borbottare
rumorista. A volte basta solo un buon meccanico che faccia
per tempo tagliando e revisione… (7)
Review by Roberto Mandolini in Rockerilla, February
2007
Il collettiva di Berna Herpes Ö DeLuxe è attivo da una
decina d’anni nel campo del rumorismo elletroacoustico.
I loro dischi sono stati pubblicati principalmente dall’etichetta
svizzera everestrecords e da piccole altre label dedite
al noise più underground. L’ultimo lavoro del gruppo vede
la luce per la neonata Hinterzimmer ("Kielholen” è il
primo titolo in catalogo). La musica contenuta nel disco
è frutto die improvvisazioni in studio con strumenti smontati
o autocostruiti: pezzi di musica rimasti nei cassetti
degli Herpes Ö DeLuxe e poi consegnati alle mani di Reto
Mäder.(aka RM74) che ha curato la produzione modellando
il carateristico magma sonoro del quartetto svizzero in
una specie di raccolta di canzoni. (6/10)
Review by Miguel Arsénio in Bodyspace.net, March
2007
Preste-se uma vénia à Antena 2 pela riqueza de uma programação
que parece ter substância mais que suficiente para contrariar
o livre abuso das rádios que funcionam a partir de lavagens
cerebrais e playlists absolutamente estagnadas. A vénia
é forçosa desde que escutado um programa de autoria incógnita
que emitia a abençoada rádio no início da madrugada de
14 de Outubro do ano passado. Num regresso a casa, após
testemunhado o semear de inferno na ZDB pela mão dos CAVEIRA
e Comets on Fire, era uma hermética estranheza que dominava
a onda hertziana, com colagens de tapes arrastadas, drones
turvos e selecção culta de monólogos obsessivamente dedicados
a insectos. O impressionismo Murnau reaproveitado na era
dos arquivistas e uma das mais incomodativas surpresas
a bordo de um carro nos tempos recentes.
A emissão interceptada podia até ser Kielholen, primeiríssimo
lançamento da recém-estreada label Hinterzimmer, já que
essa era esteticamente semelhante à selecção que Reto
Mäder (também ele assalariado da casa) montou a partir
do arquivo mais obscuro acumulado pelo quarteto Herpes
Ö Deluxe entre 1997 e 2005. Ao que se sabe, as peças chegam
a ser selecções mais representativas de momentos cujas
rotas crescentes ou descendentes podem até ter sido decepadas
(a hipótese de bluff também não deve ser descartada).
Pesou a mão de Reto Mäder que conferiu a devida edição
e pós-produção, sem que o presente segundo longa-duração
represente um trabalho de colaboração. Para mais, colaborar
com os Herpes Ö Deluxe parece, ao que dá a entender o
sombrio Kielholen, implicar uma compatibilidade clínica
de sintonias dementes com um apetite especial pela vistoria
de texturas doentias, bem situadas à esquerda de tudo
aquilo que possa integrar, à luz do dia, um meigo corpo
pop. Vampirizam-se mutuamente o borbulhar de graves arrítmicos,
apontamentos alarmistas desrespeitosos para com o sincronismo
tipicamente suíço, electrónica convulsa e parasitária
(pelo modo como reveste os corpos circulares mais próximos),
as recorrentes e nauseantes tapes corroídas pelas enzimas
de um estômago de jibóia. Em "Ruhig Stellen”, a fricção
ácida de um feixe sonoro serve para emular aquilo que
pode ser o chiar dos pneus que movem um carro condenado
a acabar demolido. Os Herpes Ö Deluxe deliram com a infinidade
de hipóteses que oferece o ruído quando sujeito a um tratamento
incidente na sua elasticidade. Com isso, perfazem o fim
do mundo ou a aurora de uma imprevisibilidade que muita
falta faz à rádio por cá.
Review by Vidal Romero in GoMag, February 2007
No es muy habitual tropezar con sellos dedicados al jander
que vengan del pais de los relojes de cuco, el queso gruyere
y las vacas pintadas de morado (estan Spezialmaterial,
Stattmusik y poco mas), asi que habra que saludar con
efusion a Hinterzimmer, un recién nacido dedicado a la
electroacustica con manga ancha, que arranca con sendos
proyectos a cargo de los dos socios fundadores, Reto Mäder
y Roger Ziegler. El primero se hace llamar RM74 y en "Fireproof
in 8 parts”, su cuarto disco, fabrica un punado de collage
en los que se alternan grabaciones de cambo, ruidos de
naturaleza industrial y tormentas de feedback con partes
de piano acustico, cuerdas, campanitas y guitarras maltratadas.
Una mezcia que a veces se le escapa de las manos a Mäder,
pero que cuando funciona produce piezas de interés muy
resenable. Ziegler, por su parte, forma parte de la célula
de musica improvisada Herpes Ö DeLuxe, un cuarteto que,
a pesar del nombre, no tiene nada que ver con la critica
musical: ellos prefieren amalgamar electronica e instrumentation
real en una suerte de todo vale ("electronique bruitiste”,
lo llaman ellos), y que encuentra su habitat natural sobre
los escenarios. "Kielholen”, su primer y recomendable
disco, es en realidad una seleccion de grabaciones en
directo, recortadas y remezcladas para la ocasion por
RM74, en las que queda clara su pasion por los ambientes
tensos y los sonidos ariscos. Y la verdad es que uno se
queda con ganas de ver en vivo a estos habiles herederos
de Einstürzende Neubauten. A poder ser, en una sala pequena
y llena de humo.
Playlist in MUMA Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER), 102.3 FM, 28.3.2008
1. RLW & TITO Gabentisch Grossstadt (Hinterzimmer)
2. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - Fern Der Hoffnung (Hinterzimmer)
3. Kiko C. Esseiva - Quelque Part Sous Les Etoiles (Hinterzimmer)
4. Yoshio Machida - Scene 5 (Baskaru)
5. Chris Abrahams / Mike Cooper - Oeanic Feeling-like Part Two (Room40)
6. Louis Dufort - Materio 1 (Empreintes Digitales)
7. Pure Sound - Moody Bastard Out Drinking (Euphonium)
8. Pure Sound - To You My Dearest (Euphonium)
9. Pure Sound - Breath Deep, My Love (Euphonium)
10. Pure Sound - Dialect Poetry (Euphonium)
11. Pure Sound - Square Thing (Euphonium)
Playlist in Avaruusromua YLE Radio 1 Finnland,
13.5.2007
1. The Strato Ensemble - Higher Losing (Drawn Straws)
2. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - Boiled Rice (Kielholen)
3. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: Aberration of Starlight (The Garden
of Forking Paths)
4. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - Our Way was Lit by Moonlight
(The Garden of Forking Paths)
5. The Alps - Tintinabulations (Jewelt Galaxies/Spirit
Shambles)
6. Luc Ferrari - Madame de Shanghai
Playlist in MUMA Radio Dreyeckland Freiburg (GER),
102.3 FM, 13.5.2007
1. erikM & Thomas Lehn - Les Protorythmiques (Room40)
2. Tom Hall - 2 (Nightrider)
3. Aethenor - 1 (VHF)
4. RM74/RLW - Pirouetten (Crouton)
5. RM74 - Mellow (Hinterzimmer)
6. RM74 - Involve (Hinterzimmer)
7. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - Fern der Hoffnung (Hinterzimmer)
8. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - All Hands (everestrecords)
Playlist "Fennesz en Herpes Ö DeLuxe" in NPS Folio
Concertzender NL, 25.4.2007
Herpes Ö Deluxe - 'Kielholen' (Hinterzimmer):
1. Fern der Hoffnung
2. Tief unten
3. Nichtsdestotrotz
Fennesz - 'Endless Summer' (Mego):
1. Endless Summer
2. A Year In A Minute
3. Caecilia
4. Got To Move On
5. Happy Audio
6. Badminton Girl
7. Endless
Playlist in Framework Resonance FM 104.4 FM London,
25.04.2007
1. Das Synthetische Mischgewebe - That Which Swallows
(Celestial Dragon)
2. Nich Sellen - The Sound Of Reading
3. Rob Grant - Green Lanes
4. Matt Shoemaker - Spots In The Sun Track 2 (Helen Scarsdale
Agency)
5. Blaerp - Plankton State (Celestial Dragon)
6. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - Funkenflug (Hinterzimmer)
7. Yannick Dauby - Cetaean Lethargy (Celestial Dragon)
8. Matt Shoemaker - Spots In The Sun Track 4 (Helen Scarscale
Agency)
9. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - Ruhig Stellen (Hinterzimmer)
10. Sebastiane Hegarty - Mo (Nu) Ment SSV7_4:4
11. Herpes Ö DeLuxe - Nichtsdestotrotz (Hinterzimmer)
Playlist in Kunstkamera No. 21 (Soundtrack To The 7th
Annual Forex Forum) www.zvuuk.podomatic.com, 20.04.2007
1. Herpes Ö Deluxe - Fern der Hoffnung (Hinterzimmer)
2. Merzbow - Tract 1 (Blossoming Noise)
3. Knyaz Mishkin - Lebedrakdashuka (Akatzia)
4. Po |
