Bleak Bliss: January 2017

Doc Wör Mirran - Acoustic Penis Convention

Recorded in 1987, released in 1989 by a German indie-rock label called Frownland.

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Acoustic Penis Convention

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Garage Pretentions

Released as a 7" in 1993, then again as a CD EP, by Musical Tragedies. This one features contributions from Emil Beaulieau and Tesendalo.

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Garage Pretentions

Various - Durchschnittsanfall 1/2

The Grey Wolves, Kopfschmerztablette, Kapotte Muziek, Die Rache, If Bwana, The Haters, Pacific 231, Doc Wör Mirran and so on and so forth.

Double C60 set released together on Prion in 1987.

Durchschnittsanfall 1

Durchschnittsanfall 2

Various - Durchschnittsanfall 3/4

If you're not already convinced, let's add Big City Orchestra, Doc Wör Mirran, Con-Dom, De Fabriek, S·Core, Architects Office, Lieutenant Caramel, Merzbow and many more. Thought so.

C60 and C90 released together on Prion in 1988.

Durchschnittsanfall 3

Durchschnittsanfall 4

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Quickly Skitzo

It seems that 1991 was a busy year for Doc Wor Mirran. This 7" came out on the Forced Exposure label (yes, the same FE that had a magazine at the time and exists today as a mail-order catalog and distributor) and it also included a booklet. I again beseech some generous reader with time on his or her hands to scan their own booklet and leave us a link.

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Quickly Skitzo

Various - Durchschnittsanfall 5

Another set of strange sounds from the likes of H64, Viktimized Karcass, Die Rache, Mental Anguish, Odal, Merz and more.

C90 released on Prion on 1988.

Side A

Side B

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Deformed Presidents Protect Each Other

They sure do. Another baffler from the Doc crew, released in 1991 by Musical Tragedies. This also came with a booklet that remains unscanned by me. If you are a kind person, you'll scan your own copy and leave a Zippy link in the comments.

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Deformed Presidents Protect Each Other

Various - Durchschnittsanfall 6

Did somebody mention Nürnberg? Compilation that includes P.C.R., Nostalgie Eternelle, Bene Gesserit, Smersh, Solanaceae Tau and Siegmar Fricke.

C60 released on P.C.R.'s / Peter Schuster's Prion in 1989.

Durchschnittsanfall 6

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Falling To Achieve Freedom

Doc Wör Mirran are a very strange band. They have been that way since their first cassette in 1984 and remain so today. The fault can be laid at the feet of American artists Joseph Raimond and Bernard Worrick, who traded bleak San Francisco for the mellow and sunny beaches of Nurnberg, Germany, in 1985 and fell in with the local weirdo community. DWM became their vehicle for ugly noise, beautiful droning ambience, poetry, paintings and drawings, and songs that imply an interest in rock and pop music with a sense of humor that tends toward scatological and frustratingly juvenile (lots of references to, and crude drawings of, butts and tits that resemble a note that a classmate might have passed to during 7th grade maths class). In the spirit of the cassette trading network of the era, they welcomed all sorts of collaborators, who have included at various moments Jello Biafra, Asmus Tietchens, Peter Schuster/Tesendalo, De Fabriek, Ron Lessard, Paul Lemos (of Controlled Bleeding), Harald "Sack" Ziegler, Deutsches Kulturgut, PCR, and assorted other friends who contributed lyrics, art and/or sounds.

As you might expect from such a determinedly eclectic bunch, DWM have been confoundingly prolific. A sensible entry point to the DWM world would be their singles, several of which I will post here. The first thing I'll post will be the first thing I ever heard by them, a 7" called "Falling to Achieve Freedom", released in 1987 by Empty Records in Germany. The record came with a booklet of lyrics and art that I couldn't be arsed to scan.

Doc Wör Mirran ‎- Falling To Achieve Freedom

Noisepussy - Catterina

This will be the last bit of Matt Middleton for a while. It's a beauty. A one off collaboration between Matt, Rahdune (aka Duncan Bruce) and CJA (aka Clayton Noone).

CDr released on Imvated in 2006.

Catterina

Crude - Refute A Myth Society

Probably my favourite of the bunch.

LP released on Ecstatic Yod, as part of their Center Of The Ass Run series, in 1997.

Matt has also uploaded some other things that you can download for free here and here. Why wouldn't you?

Refute A Myth Society

Crude - Desert Storms, Crooked Shawms

Carl Cox meets Richie Hawtin and get pushed through Matt Middleton's mind-prism. Why doesn't this man rule the world?

7" released on Trinder Music in 1995.

Desert Storms, Crooked Shawms

Crude - Bionica

Bontempi gameboy therapy for troubled relationships and lilting jazz parp.

7" released on Crawlspace Records in 1997.

Bionica

Crude - Sax Sothis

This starts with the sound of a cityscape as heard through a plastic drainpipe. Then it turns into sinister ninja-synthfunk. What? It carries on taking more thematic swerves than, erm, a very swervy thing. As long as you can come up for air once in a while, being inside Matt Middleton's head must be a hell of a lot of fun.

CD released on Juggernaut Records in 1998.

Sax Sothis

Crude - Worlds Worst Saxophone Solos Volume 48

Pretty much does what it says on the tin...

8" lathe released on Crawlspace Records in 1998.

Worlds Worst Saxophone Solos Volume 48

Crude - Raytheon

Broken electronics, crunchy noise and incidental found sound make this the polar opposite of the previous post.

CDr released on his own Artless Intent in 2003.

Raytheon

Crude - Inner City Guitar Perspectives

Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your sanity hats! You are about to enter The Wonderful And Frightening World Of... Matt Middleton.

The entire thing is Matt on guitar, bass, drums, synthesizer, piano, clarinet, and vocals. This sounds like a lot of things but I've never heard anything like it.

CD and LP released on the immortal Flying Nun Records in 1996.

Inner City Guitar Perspectives

The Aesthetics - Off

More muddy gutter punk on the final release of the last line-up with Matt Middleton joined by Paul Dixon on bass and electronics and Pat Kraus on drums.

CD released on Mental Telemetry in 2001.

Off

The Aesthetics - My Right To Riches

Top drawer ugly gutter-punk from the early core of Shaun Jury on bass, Stefan Neville on drums and Matt Middleton on everything that he can get his hands on. A doff of the proverbial also goes to Rustle Coveney and James Robinson who sit in for a few of the tracks.

LP released on Ecstatic Peace! in 1999.

My Right To Riches

The Aesthetics - Dunedin Punks 7

Hopelessly rare tape featuring two live performances from the The Aesthetics. The dates and venues are lost to me but a lot of what is here would see the light of day on the My Right To Riches LP the following year. I'm assuming that the line-up would be at least similar.

C60 released on Stefan Neville's Stabbies And The Rocket Recordings in 1998.

Dunedin Punks 7

Trash - On And On With Lou Reed

Buzzcockian guitar and high octane Sonic Youth riffery and then the cool as fuck vocals saunter in ... three minutes of pure gold! The warped gentle riot of "A Short Poem With The Voice Of Williams Burroughs In Mind" follows and clinches the deal. One of the finest singles that I've heard.

7" released on New World Of Sound in 1992.

On And On With Lou Reed

Trash - Gritt And Butts

More ramshackle rock punk aesthetics from the lovely Trash.

CD released on Turbulence Records in 1992. The vinyl came out the following year.

Gritt And Butts

Trash - Mihiwaka

Trash centred around the twin guitars of Bruce Blucher and Paul Cahill and the (Dead C) drums of Robbie Yeats but other people dropped in and out for gigs and recordings. Michael Morley even drops in to add his guitar to two of the tracks on this one. Needless to say, the entire thing is great.

CD released on Dunedin based IMD in 1995.

Mihiwaka

Dadamah - Violet Stains Red / Absent And Erotic Lives

The previous post was the complete works of Dadamah until these 1992 recordings were unearthed by Yellow Electric and released as a 7" in 2012.

Violet Stains Red / Absent And Erotic Lives

Dadamah - This Is Not A Dream

Short-lived outfit consisting of Kim Pieters, Peter Stapleton, Roy Montgomery and Janine Stagg. This is the CD version that brings together the 12" and two 7"s that they recorded between 1991 and 1992.

CD released on Kranky in 1995.

This Is Not A Dream

Doramaar - Jury / I Will Not Disappear Into You

The first Doramaar release was a lathe cut 7" released in 1994. I don't know if this was associated with a particular label.

Jury / I Will Not Disappear Into You

Doramaar - Copula

This is the original line-up that includes André Richardson (who was also in Trash and Cyclops) on bass and electric organ. On the opening track, the way that the organ and (what loosely could be described as) vocals intertwine wouldn't be out of place in a David Lynch dream scene. From there you just sink into a world of semi-improvised and warped unrock. You miss it when it's gone ... the sign of a class act if you ask me.

CD released on Bruce Russell's legendary Corpus Hermeticum in 1995.

Copula

Doramaar - Terra Incognita

Kim Pieters on bass and drums, Adria Morgan on guitar and drums and Sara Stephenson on guitar. Two offerings of glorious New Zealand no-wave-stlye hovering guitar, off-kilter drums and collapsing proceedings.

LP released on Fusetron in 1996.

Terra Incognita

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 11

From 1986, this is the last volume of the Insane Music for Insane People series that I own, with strange and wonderful (dare I say... insane?) music by Areknuteknyterne, Poets of the Signature, Psyclones, Vanishing Family, Armando Velasco Torres, LeLu/Lu's, Twilight Ritual, Mullah, ... Of Tanz Victims, Walls of Genius, The Horsemen, Collectionism, Los Paranos, Jean-Louis Descloux, and Influenza Prods. The series would continue with one more tape in 1986, an LP in 1987, then more compilation cassettes going up to volume 25 in 1988. It seems to have started again with volume 26 as recently as 2014.

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 11

Narita Mamoru - Music For Butoh Dance Improvisation

There are parts of this recording that come close to a spiritual cleansing which, for my cold dead atheist heart, is a rare thing.

CDr released on Kuwayama Kiyoharu's (ala Lethe's) Pale-Disc in 2001.

Music For Butoh Dance Improvisation

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 10

From 1986, with music by Tara Cross, Muteual Mortuary, Urovisions, Vanishing Family, Human Flesh, Vita Noctis, Thalassa Kollektif, Instead Of, Poets of the Signature, Amor Fati, Jean-Louis Descloux, Armando Velasco Torres, Los Paranos, The Gate, Ernest Hembersin and Dvoleta Fama.

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 10

Sabu Orimo - Wind Songs

Equal parts mournful meditation and free-jazz improvisation.

LP released on Siwa in 2009.

Wind Songs

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 9

From 1986, volume 9 contains my very favorite song from the entire Insane Music for Insane People series! This is quite a diverse compilation, with repeat appearances by Jarboe, Human Flesh, Los Paranos... plus Bill Pritchard, Big City Orchestra, Muteual Mortuary (aka a very short-lived duo of Bill Leeb and Nivek Ogre of Frontline Assembly and Skinny Puppy), Paul K, Amor Fati, Opera Multi Steel... and, easily my favorite song on any of these tapes, a post-punk rager by the Italian band Dissolutio Humani Generis, which reminds me of X-Ray Spex or Essential Logic. None of the band's other songs are as good as this one, unfortunately, but this is a keeper.

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 9

Sabu Orimo - 一音 [Ichi-On]

Before I became aware of Sabu Orimo, I had no idea that the shakuhachi existed. The tones that he draws from the instrument are nothing short of spectacular.

CDr released on Subjective Spirit Sound in 2006.

一音 [Ichi-On]

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 8

From 1986, several bands on here that I haven't otherwise heard of: Urovisions, Jarboe, Abner Malaty, Dead Goldfish Ensemble, Human Flesh, Syndrome, Quite Ridiculous Nonsense, Los Paranos, The Horsemen, Instead Of, Reportaz, Mullah and Nomuzic.

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 8

Sabu Orimo - Susabu

Sabu Orimo makes deeply personal improvised music using the shakuhachi (a bamboo flute). This couldn't be further removed from the previous label posts.

CDr released on Subjective Spirit Sound in 2006.

Susabu

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 7

The 7th volume in the Insane Music for Insane People series arrived in 1985 and is again heavy on tracks by Insane Alain Neffe. It includes noise and synth-pop strangeness by Voidkampf, Architects Office, I Scream, Maybe Mental, Human Flesh, Bene Gesserit, No Unauthorized, Algebra Suicide, Ulf Knudsen, Empty Wien, Autumn, and Niala Effen.

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 7

Retolt Mandala - SF Munou Koukyoubutsu

Akiko Naito, Mamoru Narita, Nobu Kasahara, Roboku Akasawa, Takeshi Kobayashi and Yuki Obara.

Now, where do you even begin with this one? Chaotic futurist alien-shaman-rock recorded in an asylum by the inmates? Yeah, that'll do it.

Spectacular CDr released on Subjective Spirit Sound in 2007.

SF 無脳交響物

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 6

Volumes 4-6 all came out in 1984, demonstrating how quickly Insane Music's Alain Neffe established himself as an active instigator and promoter of the international experimental home taper underground. This volume includes only one song by a Neffe band, Human Flesh, and lots more unearthed from the world's basements and bedrooms. Some names will be familiar: Masaki, Architects Office, Psyclones, Tara Cross, Maybe Mental, Algebra Suicide, Twilight Ritual, Voidkampf. Others remain obscure to me: Leo Marino, Spacelings, M. Soden, Jean-Claude Charlier et son Orchestre, Eric Abitbol, Valerie Desperiez.

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 6

Yamashirube - Rinjin Wa Uchu

Shower drone on this 3" CDr released on Subjective Spirit Sound in 2006.

Rinjin Wa Uchu

Various - Insane Music For Insane People Vol. 5

This is where things start to become completely unhinged. Whilst there are some of the previous acts, the roster is broadened to include Fetus Productions, Empty Wien, Twilight Ritual, Enno Velthuys, Sue Ann Harkey and (erm) Jezebel.

C60 released on Insane Music in 1984.

Insane People

Yamashirube - Yuki-Onna Ni Ai Ni Iku

So, this will be the "massively-dislocated second album" then. Dissociative might be a better descriptor. Slide into the Twilight Zone.

CDr released on his own Subjective Spirit Sound in 2005.

Yuki-Onna Ni Ai Ni Iku

Various - Insane Music For Insane People Vol. 4

More insane delights from the series. I think everybody here has appeared on the previous volumes so if you liked them then this is for you. The only mis-step is Subject's appropriately named "Mistake" which is a tune in search of a floppy fringe.

C60 released on Insane Music in 1984.

Insane People

Yamashirube - Psychedelic Sounds of Yamashirube

"First self-released album from this new Tokyo psych project from Hide Uchida is a much harsher fuzz of trance than their massively-dislocated second album. Here there are moments of almost Hototogisu-esque ecstasy electronics along with boulders of UK noise-style fuzz over which the trio work patterns of melodic electro gush, a huge rush of heavily F/X saturated electric guitar and dead television signals. Parts of this sound most like an armed, urban wing of the Angus MacLise Orkustra at their most heaven storming, with octave bombing guitars crippled by bulldozers of fuzz and concrete and almost Wolf Eyes-levels of live-wire threat." Volcanic Tongue

A slightly over-blown description but I see what they mean (it also refers to Yamashirube being Hide Uchida's project and a "trio" ... ah well). This is the kind of psychedelics that should be given to children so they bugger off and leave all of the best drugs to the adults!.

CDr released on Hide Uchida's Subjective Spirit Sound in 2005.

Psychedelic Sounds of Yamashirube

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 3

Volume 3 of the series came out in 1983, the same year that volume 2 appeared, though all the tracks were recorded in 1982. This is one of the best of the lot, though (as you will soon discover) that's a tough call to make. The tape includes DIY synth-pop, noise, and home-made strange music from some of the usual suspects (Subject, Bene Gesserit, Pseudo Code, Human Flesh), but also from unknown newcomers like Merzbow, Let's Have Healthy Children, Andre de St. Obin (whose complete works were heroically reissued by Korm Plastics and are available on CD and LP, definitely worth seeking out!), Van Kaye & Ignit (who got a similarly loving reissue treatment with a luxurious vinyl boxset from Vinyl on Demand), Berntholer and Metamorphosis.

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 3

Ohkami No Jikan - Psychedelic Atmosphere Beatnik USA Tour 1998

A note of caution with this one! Apparently this is a CDr for sale at the gig above. Evidently released on La Musica but I can't find any reference to it online. Given that it looks like Mason played on this one, maybe he can help us out?

Psychedelic Atmosphere Beatnik USA Tour 1998

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 2

Appearing in 1983, two years after the first volume of Alain Neffe's remarkable cassette compilation series, you can already see how the scope has widened. Instead of only tracks by Neffe and his friends under different names (which is surely not a bad thing!), the album includes formative music by young up-and-coming hometapers such as Colin Potter, Legendary Pink Dots, Let's Have Healthy Children, Portion Control as well as Insane Music staples like Cortex, Bene Gesserit, Pseudo Code, and Subject.

va - Insane Music for Insane Music Vol. 2

va - Insane Music for Insane People Vol 1

No matter where you are, 2017 is sure to be an insane year. Rather than be afraid, let's embrace the oncoming insanity. This is the first of Alain Neffe's Insane Music for Insane People series of compilation cassettes, which began in 1981 on his Insane Music label in Belgium. The first volume featured mostly bands that Neffe himself was in, though that would change as the series went on. This tape features songs by Bene Gesserit, Subject, Cortex, Human Flesh, MAL, Pseudo Code, I Scream, Mecanique Vegetale and Japanese Genius.

va - Insane Music for Insane People Vol 1

Ohkami no Jikan - Israel

According to the J-card, this is the first Ohkami No Jikan album and they "concentrate on the heaviness of minimal noise". Unfortunately, as far as English is concerned, it doesn't reveal who amongst the revolving membership are present for the recording. Obviously, Asahito Nanjo is here but all else would be speculation.

C58 released on La Musica Records in 1999. It's LA-026 btw.

Israel

LIKE MINDS

Crate Diggers

Search This Blog

TWITTERFACE

THE PAST