Tag: Benge (Page 8 of 11)

GHOST HARMONIC Codex

9 May 2015 /

It’s interesting that the GHOST HARMONIC release ‘Codex’ is not the first instrumental album recorded by JOHN FOXX either as a solo or collective effort.

Yet still it had divided opinion amongst fans, many of whom are disappointed that the (almost) tandem releases of ‘Codex’ and ‘London Overgrown’ are not traditional song based albums.

These now seem to be the preserve of THE MATHS project and for many, this will be a useful differentiator. It’s interesting too in that a large percentage of his body of work is not only instrumental but also borders on the ambient / experimental in its tone.

Given that Foxx is an artist, both in the musical and wider sense as a painter, photographer and film maker, it makes sense he covers a number of musical bases. Using THE MATHS as a mechanism to release songs means listeners can, if they wish, avoid the more challenging work in the Foxx canon, but with ‘Codex’ this is their loss.

GHOST HARMONIC consists of Foxx and long term collaborator Benge alongside violinist Diana Yukawa. Recorded at Benge’s MemeTune studios in London’s Shoreditch, the album evolved over the space of a couple of years. As Foxx says himself: “the underlying intention was we all wanted to see what might happen when a classically trained musician engaged with some of the possibilities a modern recording studio can offer…” What happened is a record that delivers a startling dynamic between Yukawa’s heavily treated violin and the electronics usually associated with her two recording partners.

Presented as one continuous piece in five parts, ‘Codex’ explores not only musical forms but the space between the notes which are in places, enhanced due to the use of looping and heavy reverb. It was these spaces that inspired the collective’s name. As Benge states: “The spaces in between the musical notes are often overlooked…It was these ideas we wanted to capture on this record. The ‘ghosts’ in the studio that we were listening to for inspiration. The name came out of that”.

Foxx continues “I noticed an interesting effect when multi-tracking into long or complex reverbs – certain harmonics would be suppressed or enhanced and previously unheard ones would emerge from the miasma. This can be really beautiful and it’s now what I most listen for – I know a piece is going somewhere new when this sort of thing begins to occur”.

The pieces themselves are in turn dark and beautiful, and in places, dream like. Opener ‘A Green Thought In A Green Place’ evokes the feeling of sunlight through trees on a warm summer’s day and asks the listener to drift along with the long tailed reverbs on the violin before the electronics come in.

‘The Pleasure of Ruins continues the cycle with layered violin and bass drones carrying the listener through an empty city on a 13 minute plus journey. Across the album, Yukawa was encouraged to improvise and this is most apparent on the other long form piece ‘When We Came To This Shore’. The treatments used in places give her playing an almost vocal quality as layers and loops rise and fall in the mix. This was an aspect that Foxx was keen to explore: “Bach wouldn’t take any student who couldn’t improvise over a given theme but things seem to have gone in reverse since then. Diana was a welcome revelation after all that. She picked up themes immediately and took them off in all directions. Very exhilarating”.

Sandwiched between these two parts, ‘Dispersed Memory’ is the most atmospheric track on the album again with some quite beautifully fragile motifs rising through the mix especially in the last half. Closing track ‘Codex’ evokes some of the soundtrack work of Hans Zimmer around the release of ‘Gladiator’ in its tone and points the way to how the project may develop. It leaves the listener satisfied with the musical trip taken and wanting more. This may just happen, as Foxx says: “… there’s still lots of territory to explore”.

Many musicians look at releasing an instrumental album to in some way affirm their musical credentials when the results tend to sound like unformed demos of them just mucking about in the studio… yes Mr. Gore, pointing the finger at you!

In comparison, GHOST HARMONIC is a project on which you can hear the amount of work that has gone into crafting the end results into a whole.

John Foxx should be applauded for daring to make music like this in an increasingly challenging market and his fans should embrace the fact that after some almost 40 years in the business, he is still pushing himself and them.

GHOST HARMONIC ‘Codex’ is released on 25th May 2015 by Metamatic Records as a limited edition CD + hardback book package with artwork by Jonathan Barnbrook. It can be pre-ordered at http://johnfoxx.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=24689

http://www.ghostharmonic.com/

http://www.dianayukawa.co.uk/

http://www.metamatic.com/

http://myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.co.uk/

Text by Ian Ferguson
9th May 2015

HANNAH PEEL Find Peace

2 December 2014 /

HANNAH PEEL Find Peace

Following her synth assisted ‘Fabricstate’ EP earlier this year, multi-instrumentalist singer / songwriter Hannah Peel has recorded her most overtly electronic song yet and it’s a seasonal offering too.

Recorded with synth collector extraordinaire and Chief Mathematician Benge at the renowned MemeTune Studio in Hoxton, ‘Find Peace’ is a Christmas song longing for the cold but merry winters of yesteryear under the modern day spectre of global warming, armed conflict and political tension. It is certainly a suitably poignant message for the festive season.

Following her previous collaborations with OMD and John Foxx, the delightful Miss Peel has been steadily turning her hand to more synthesized instrumentation, inspired by the likes of female electronic pioneers like Delia Derbyshire and Suzanne Ciani. With hints of fellow MemeTune resident and musician GAZELLE TWIN, the off-kilter analogue buzzing and almost random sequences make for a striking listen as a frantic percussive death rattle and an emotive synth drone take hold to provide an appropriate backdrop for Miss Peel’s eerie but beautiful voice.

Hannah Peel first became known to the synth world via her debut EP ‘Rebox’ in 2010 which featured musicbox covers of ‘Tainted Love’ made famous by SOFT CELL, NEW ORDER’s ‘Blue Monday’, OMD’s ‘Electricity’ and COCTEAU TWINS’ ‘Sugar Hiccup’. She continues this tradition on the flipside of ‘Find Peace’ with a cover of GREG LAKE’s 1975 hit, ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’.

Certainly after the recent madness of Black Friday 2014, the song’s lyrical protest, that the traditional values of Christmas as a time of family warmth, love and a feeling of acceptance have been lost in the midst of commercialism, is suitably apt again.

With thanks to Marietta Longley at Outpost Media

‘Find Peace’ b/w ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ is released by Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club on snow white 7” vinyl single as a limited edition of 500 and available from from http://snowflakes.bigcartel.com/

The single is also available as a download from iTunes, Amazon and other digital outlets

http://www.hannahpeel.com

http://www.facebook.com/hanpeel

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd December 2014

MUS_IIC Festival.01 Featuring WRANGLER, GAZELLE TWIN + MINNY POPS

23 October 2014 /

MUS_IIC-cover

MemeTune, the acclaimed London studio and label curated its first festival just down the road from its base in Hoxton at Shoreditch’s Red Gallery.

Although lacking in natural ventilation, the sociable art space proved to be a fine venue to host live electronic music with several luminaries from the music scene present including Hannah Peel, Serafina Steer, James Nice, Anais Neon, Martin Swan and err… Bobby Gillespie! Proceedings started at precisely 7.41pm with cult Dutch combo MINNY POPS who are probably best known for being signed to Factory Records and supporting JOY DIVISION at the notorious Bury gig in 1980 which ended in a riot.

Formed in 1978 and named after the 1967 Keio Minupops 7 rhythm box and not the dodgy children’s entertainment show produced by Mike Mansfield, it began with vocalist Wally van Middendorp standing in the audience, blindfolded and silent for what felt like 10 minutes before holding a placard which announced “FAC57 NOT FUC57… Secret Story revisited” and launching into the track itsellf.

It was all very art school and prolonged, but there appeared to be a glint of sly Low Countries humour lurking.

A new song ‘Patti Hurst’ followed as coruscating guitars, mournful string synths and the band’s trademark drum machine reverbed around the venue like INTERPOL trapped down a well.

Wally van Middendorp was charismatic if nothing else with his dead fly moves and deathly baritone… it all rather made JOY DIVISION sound like STEPS. With their early albums ‘Drastic Measures Drastic Movement’ and ‘Sparks In A Dark Roomm’ out now as 2CD deluxe packages via Factory Benelux, MINNY POPS’ polarising experimentation is being re-investigated by a new audience if nothing else.

With the level of the PA raised a notch, the rumbling sub bass caused part of the lighting rig to judder and drop off the front of the stage just before the fierce and uncompromising GAZELLE TWIN commenced her set. Sounding tune-based in comparison with MINNY POPS, GAZELLE TWIN aka Elizabeth Bernholz stalked the stage like a caged animal, occasionally dropping to her knees to (almost) worship her loop pedal.

MUS_IIC-GazelleTwin

In what was the most minimal of set-ups, a hooded programmer / sample player triggered and manipulated a tiny podium-based sample pad whilst Bernholz projected a completely asexual persona. With her facial features disguised with a sheer stocking mask and dressed in a deliberately unflattering hooded track suit tucked into a pair of sports socks, the cumulative effect was to focus the listener on the music.

Bernholz admits to being a nervous / anxious performer, donning a mask and anti-fashion dress code in an attempt to distance herself from the standard “LOOK AT ME!” stage persona – if anything, this unique approach makes GAZELLE TWIN even more voyeuristically watchable.

Unlike much current electronic music, there was very little common frames of reference here, songs from current album ‘Unflesh’ drifted into each other, shards of melody occasionally appearing, then disappearing and the vocal hook “It’s coming at me” of the album’s title track being the most memorable of the evening.

What impressed most was Bernholz’s vocal range and ability to switch into different styles, this combined with a charismatic stage presence meant that the Red Gallery crowd were held in rapture fully for the duration of their 40 minute set.

With the headline act WRANGLER approaching, it became apparent that most of the Red Gallery audience were here to see Stephen Mallinder’s new outfit as the crowd significantly filled out during the break after GAZELLE TWIN.

In the seminal ‘Made in Sheffield’ documentary, another former CABARET VOLTAIRE member Chris Watson ruminated as to what the ‘perfect Cabaret Voltaire performance’ would be, whether it was driving around Sheffield city centre in a van blaring out their music or even in a public toilet somewhere.

MUS_IIC-wrangler-by-EMP

But tonight the Shoreditch venue with its superb sound system suited WRANGLER perfectly, the gloomy and arty ambience although initially intimidating, suiting the dark / dystopian sound of the band to a tee. On the left of the stage, John Foxx’s right hand man Benge spent most of the performance hammering away at a minimal twin pad drum synth whilst on the other side of a centrally placed Mallinder was Phil Winter who handled synths and MIDI controllers.

With just one album under their collective belts, most of the evening material was taken up with tracks from ‘LA Spark’ with the title track, ‘Lava Land’ and a Kaoss Pad driven ‘Mus_IIC’ all getting strong outings. The biggest cheer of the evening was reserved for a faithful version of The Cabs’ ‘Sensoria’, the sequenced riffs and danceable drum patterns getting the crowd really moving.

What also impressed was the use of front screen projection onto a curtain in front of the act, the recognisable WRANGLER “W” logo and a variety of semi-3D computer graphics appeared to float hypnotically in front of the band during their hour set. Drawing the set to close, the final track of the night was a re-worked version of ‘Crackdown’.

Despite the dark nature of their material, Mallinder and the rest of WRANGLER seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves throughout and the combination of the diverse acts on the bill made this a perfect way to enjoy a Saturday nights electronic music. On the strength of tonight’s event, it can only be a matter of time before we get MUS_IIC Festival.02.

With thanks to Steve Malins at Random PR

WRANGLER ‘LA Spark’ is released by MemeTune

GAZELLE TWIN ‘Unflesh’ is released by Anti-Ghost Moon Ray / Last Gang

MINNY POPS ‘Drastic Measures Drastic Movement’ and ‘Sparks In A Dark Room’ are released by Factory Benelux

https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Are-Wrangler/1389558817973207

http://www.gazelletwin.com/

http://minnypops.com/

http://memetune.net

Text and Photos by Chi Ming Lai and Paul Boddy
23rd October 2014

 

GAZELLE TWIN Unflesh

19 September 2014 /

GAZELLE TWIN Unflesh art

GAZELLE TWIN’s second album ‘Unflesh’ is a collage of artistic violence that has allowed the Brighton based songstress Elizabeth Bernholz to extract her demons.

A raw, rhythmical attack to the senses with a deliberate lo-fi sound away from the cinematic hauntronica of debut album ‘The Entire City’ and interim EP ‘Mammal’, ‘Unflesh’ takes risks by being even less obviously melodic and throws caution to the wind.

It is bleak and not easy listening. However, while uncompromising, ‘Unflesh’ has more accessible entry points perhaps than THE KNIFE’s ‘Shaking The Habitual’. Partly autobiographical, Bernholz conceived ‘Unflesh’ as a means of acting out vengeance on her antagonists like teenhood, recurring dreams and her own body.

As the album’s song titles alone indicate, her lingering metaphysical concerns continue. Bernholz told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK: “That’s something I can’t switch off. But I don’t want to. There are rarely moments where I’m not considering the wider meaning of all things, on a day to day basis. I’ll make a sandwich and think of the former life of all the ingredients, all these particles that are being slammed together to ultimately end up as my sh*t… I like that sort of thought process”.

One of the key tracks is ‘Exorcise’, an impressively aggressive cross between PINK FLOYD’s ‘On The Run’ and KRAFTWERK’s ‘Home Computer’. It is accorded additional resonance by Bernholz’s deadpan as a vicious percussive and synthetic crescendo takes hold. Meanwhile, her trademark metaphysical commentary comes with the industrialised tribal salvo of ‘Belly Of The Beast’ and the rhythmic stutter of ‘Anti Body’. Both are strangely danceable and even deviantly sexy while warped Moog Modular arpeggios kick in on ‘Belly Of The Beast’, courtesy of Chief Mathematician Benge who co-mixes ‘Unflesh’ with Bernholz.

But with a 6/8 pulse and a whisper to a scream, the opening ‘Unflesh’ title track is barer but no less unsettling with banshee wails and soprano cries in abundance while ‘Guts’ adds an almost Prince-like funk groove while fusing the Fourth World overtones of Jon Hassell and a sombre gothic take on THE ART OF NOISE. Throughout the album, Benge throws some extra Formant and CS80 machinery into the process. The end result of this external influence is that Bernholz becomes freer in her expression.

Gazelle Twin press image 13 by Esther Springett

As well as these adrenaline crushes, there are gentler but still dark moments like the eerie neo-acapella of ‘Child’ and the ghostly COCTEAU TWINS lullaby of ‘Premonition’ which like Gary Numan’s ‘A Prayer For The Unborn’, reflects on the trauma of miscarriage. And the theme of mortality is explored further with ‘Good Death’, a stark eulogy on the subject of Euthanasia given extra sonority with Bernholz’s hauntingly slithery pitch manipulations.

And things get even more unsettling. The primitive Linn driven oddness of ‘Human Touch’ looks at the children raised by animals while the history of European colonisation is told on the self-explanatory ‘I Feel Blood’ with an eerie string machine extending further sonic chills to the subject matter. But as the album draws to its conclusion with a drifting drum mantra, things end as they began with Bernholz screaming into submission before a series of distorted snaps on ‘Still Life’.

As something outside of the routine synthpop or generic industrial conveyor, ‘Unflesh’ is a worthy aural journey capturing the mood of an uncertain world. Tortured, cathartic and uncomfortable, ‘Unflesh’ is a considerable artistic achievement for GAZELLE TWIN.

‘Unflesh’ is released by Anti-Ghost Moon Ray / Last Gang on 22nd September 2014, download available from https://gazelletwin.bandcamp.com/album/unflesh

GAZELLE TWIN 2014 live appearances include: Brighton Dome Studio Theatre (26th September), London Corsica Studios (1st October), Glasgow Old Fruitmarket (3rd October – with WRANGLER + SCANNER) and London Red Gallery (18th October – with WRANGLER + MINNY POPS)

http://www.gazelletwin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gazelletwin

http://www.antighostmoonray.com

Text by Chi Ming Lai
19th September 2014

WRANGLER LA Spark

5 May 2014 /

At this point in time, WRANGLER are probably the nearest we have to an electronic supergroup.

It’s hard to think of a similar set-up since either ELECTRONIC or VISAGE before them, although this line-up featuring Benge (John Foxx’s sideman in THE MATHS), Stephen Mallinder (one half of CABARET VOLTAIRE) and Phil Winter (from folktronica group TUUNG) is a far more experimental proposition than the two aforementioned outfits.

‘LA Spark’ is the first collection of tracks from the trio and is an analogue synthesizer tour de force, putting to good use the enviable collection of vintage equipment housed at MemeTune studios in Hoxton Square.

It is not a pristine piece of work, because of its source material, there is a lot of analogue hiss and distortion here, but this is part of the album’s charm. Every good band deserves to have their own theme and ‘LA Spark’ bursts into life with ‘Theme From Wrangler’, its ‘Astradyne’ style hi-hats introducing a gliding synth lead and speaker quaking bassline which eventually give way to a ghostly vocal which (because of its low mix level) becomes another texture in the track – this song pretty much sets the template for the rest of the album.

The spring-reverbed kicks from ‘Theme from…’ then lead into ‘Lava Land’, a track which shares distant DNA with KRAFTWERK’s ‘Autobahn’ and John Foxx’s ‘Metamatic’, the accelerated electronics overlayed with Mallinder’s pitch-shifted vocals and a wonderfully retro Logan String Melody part, a keyboard which was a favourite with such luminaries as JOY DIVISION, NEW MUSIK and YELLO. The expertly placed percussion hits are eventually joined by another warped vocal, Mallinder in places sounding like one of Clive Barker’s demonic Cenobites from ‘Hellraiser’, especially on the “Burn, Babylon burn line!”

‘LA Spark’ introduces a lighter, more melodic and 4/4 sound to the proceedings with hypnotic interwoven monosynth lines and another flanged string synth wash joining the proceedings. This track features probably the nearest thing to a sung vocal hook and provides some light relief from the darker textures which permeates through most of the work on show here.

‘Music IIC’ is probably the most experimental track on ‘LA Spark’, reminiscent of YAZOO’s ‘I Before E (Except After C)’ with its cut-up vocal parts, the track itself being inspired by the work of Jean-Claude Risset and Max Matthews, both pioneers of computer generated music and employees of Bell Laboratories.

‘Harder’ showcases a huge range of interlocking / synthetically produced percussion sounds and melodic string shift which recalls KRAFTWERK’s ‘Spacelab’, this track has arguably the most upfront vocal too with Mallinder’s chanting vocal drenched in reverse reverb.

Throughout the album, the warmth of the analogue synthesizers and drum machines are counterpointed by a harsh vocal sound which unlike most contemporary productions, sound deliberately un-de-essed, the sibilants being preserved, making Mallinder’s words cut through the mix with ease, but also making them sound dark and disturbing at the same time.

The other thing which resonates about ‘LA Spark’ is that it doesn’t pander one iota to any particular musical fad or fashion, and with the exception of the sampled/cut-up vocals on ‘Music IIC’, there is little here to suggest that this album couldn’t have been recorded 35 years ago… and for many potential listeners, this should be seen as a positive.

Very often, there can be nothing worse than established artists trying to “get down with the kids” by flirting with Trap or Dubstep or [insert your own flavour of the month genre here] and potentially coming off like an embarrassing relative twerking at a wedding…

This is an album that isn’t instant ear candy, it takes a few listens for its riches to be revealed and for the listener to be drawn into its world. However, once ushered in, ‘LA Spark’ shows that today’s electronic music doesn’t necessarily have to be saccharine and hook filled to be listenable and enjoyable.

With thanks to Steve Malins at Random PR

‘LA Spark’ is released by MemeTune in vinyl, CD and download formats

WRANGLER plays as part of the COM TRUISE all nighter at Shapes in Hackney, London on Saturday 31st May 2014. They also play The Hare & Hounds in Birmingham on Saturday 23rd August 2014

https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Are-Wrangler/1389558817973207

https://twitter.com/wearewrangler

http://memetune.net

Text by Paul Boddy
5th May 2014

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