Null – Sonic Erosion [Cass] (1989, Nux Organization)

KK.Null (born Kazuyuki Kishino) is one of the top names in Japanese noise music and in a larger context, one of the great cult artists in experimental rock. Starting his career in the early 80's by performing guitar improvisations in the clubs and streets of Tokyo, he continued by collaborating with Merzbow for two years, and joining the bands YBO² and Absolut Null Punkt. In 1987, he gained wider notoriety as the leader, guitarist and singer of the trio Zeni Geva, which he described as "progressive hardcore". Zeni Geva reached world-wide fame with their heavy and hypnotic sound, eventually releasing three Steve Albini-produced albums on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label. After playing the guitar as his main instrument for some twenty years, Null has gradually moved towards a more electronic approach. These days he mostly states the "nullsonic" as his primary instrument. Nullsonic is something of a variation of Robert Fripp's 1970's instrument "frippertronics" -a combination of electric guitar and effects units, which elevated the effects to equal importance alongside the guitar. Null has gone even further by discarding the guitar altogether and making all the sounds with effects only. In recent years, he has concentrated his efforts increasingly on his solo material.

 

 

Label: Nux Organization – NUX-19 

Format: Cassette, Limited Edition 

Country: Japan 

Released: 1989 

Style: Drone, Noise, Experimental 

 

Tracklist:

A Sonic Erosion 37:09 

B1 The Dawn Of Harsh 14:01 

B2 Heavenly Assault 10:21 

 

Notes:

Side A recorded live at 20000v, Tokyo Sept. 29 1989 

Side B recorded at Prima Natura, 1988 

 

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Yen Pox – Deliver [7''] (1995, Drone Records)

 

Nuclear-nightmarish-ambient darkness in the vein of Lustmord, Thomas Koner and Atomine Elektrine. The duo (Michael J.V. Hensley and Steve Hall) also founded two others amazing "deep listening" projects under the name Blood Box and Veil of Secrecy. [SOURCE: PROG ARCHIVES]

 

 

Label: Drone Records – DR-15 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM

Country: Germany 

Released: Dec 1995 

Style: Dark Ambient, Drone 

 

Tracklist:

A Deliver 8:48 

B Remove 8:51 

 

Notes:  

First edition (1995), limited to 250 hand-numbered copies, packaged in handmade silk-screened covers.

Second edition (1998), limited to 300 copies on black vinyl in black-on-red printed sleeves.

 

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Gate – Amerika [LP] (1993, Majora)

Gate is a free noise project of New Zealander Michael Morley, which began at the end of the 80's. Morley, who has also plays in Dead C and runs the Precious Metal label, performed the thick, sonic improvisations that are characteristic of Gate on a tour with Keiji Haino and Thurston Moore in 1994. Gate has several releases on the Table of the Elements label, including 'Monolake' (1997) and 'The Wisher Table' (1999), as well as other releases on smaller independent labels such as Go For It and Siltbreeze. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

 

Label: Majora – LP-5775 

Format: Vinyl, LP 

Country: US 

Released: 1993 

Style: Noise, Experimental, Drone

 

Tracklist:

A Amerika Pt. 1 

B1 Amerika Pt. 2 

B2 Amerika Pt. 3 

 

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Nord – L∴S∴D∴ [LP] (1984, L∴S∴D∴ Records)

 

Nord is a Japanese noise project, originally formed in 1979 by Satoshi Katayama and Hiroshi Oikawa. This lineup released a self-titled LP on Pinakotheca in 1980. The duo split in 1983 and both members continued to use the name Nord. The group's name was derived from Louis-Ferdinand Céline's 1960 novel "Nord".Oikawa put out several releases on his L∴S∴D∴ Records, but didn't play live. He ceased activities in the late 80s.   

 

'L∴S∴D∴' was issued in a limited edition of 200 copies. The ambiguity of the cover (is it "LSD" by Nord or "Nord" by LSD?) had a profound effect on Japanoise. A young Masonna purchased this album thinking it was a German psych rock band called LSD, so you can imagine that the shock of expecting a traditional album only added to the profound effect it would have on him. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC]

 

 

Label: L∴S∴D∴ Records – LSDL-01 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Limited Edition 

Country: Japan 

Released: 1984 

Style: Noise, Industrial, Drone

 

Tracklist:

A1 序曲 - Jokyoku (Overture)

A2 L S D 

B1 L S D 

B2 ザ･ゴースト･サウンズ - Za Gōsuto Saunzu (The Ghost Sounds) 

 

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Jim O'Rourke – It Takes Time To Do Nothing [Cass] (1990, Audiofile Tapes)

Since emerging in the late '80s, composer, guitarist, producer, and all-around musical polymath Jim O'Rourke's wide-ranging output has found audiences with experimental jazz and noise fans, chill room denizens, indie rockers, and bedroom experimentalists, and bridged gaps between some otherwise isolated compositional communities. As a guitarist, he is recognized for his work with prepared guitar in improvisational settings, and also for playing with noise rock pioneers Sonic Youth, in Loose Fur with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche, and for David Grubbs' experimental rock group Gastr del Sol, just to name a few. He has also released over 30 solo albums, spanning singer / songwriter fare, adventurous post-rock, noise and tape experiments, ambient pieces, and pastoral instrumentals, with a knack for combining them into idiosyncratic art song. His 1989 solo debut, 'Some Kind of Pagan', experimented with prepared guitar and field recordings, while his 1997 Drag City label debut, 'Bad Timing', veered into more standard song forms. Some diverse highlights of his prolific career also include teaching the child actors the songs for Richard Linklater's film "School of Rock" (2003), winning a Grammy for producing Wilco's album 'A Ghost Is Born' (2004), and playing guitar and piano on Richard Thompson's score for the Werner Herzog documentary "Grizzly Man" (2005). Over 25 years into his recording career, he cracked the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart in 2015 with his solo LP 'Simple Songs'. 

 
He first picked up the guitar at the age of six, but it wasn't until O'Rourke studied composition at DePaul University that his interest in the less-obvious possibilities of the instrument led him through the early catalogs of the post-classical and electro-acoustic traditions. While at DePaul, O'Rourke completed much of the work that would constitute his first few releases. He also had the opportunity to meet noted improvisational guitarist Derek Bailey, who invited O'Rourke to play at the British Improv Festival Company Week, leading to further collaborative projects with Bailey, Henry Kaiser, Eddie Prevost, and David Jackman. O'Rourke began working with Dan Burke's Illusion of Safety project in the early '90s, and released three albums through Staalplaat and Tesco before moving on to form experimental "rock" group Gastr del Sol with David Grubbs. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

 

Label: Audiofile Tapes – aT 109 

Format: Cassette, C46 

Country: US 

Released: 1990 

Style: Experimental, Dark Ambient, Drone, Musique Concrète, Industrial

Tracklist: 

A1 Untitled 

B1 Untitled 

 

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PGR – Cyclone Par L'Immobile Habité [LP] (1988, Permis De Construire)

PGR started life as an industrial group in mid '80s under the Poison Gas Research moniker. Their studio was in a rough area in Oakland. To deter dubious people they affixed a sign with "Poison Gas Research" written on it at the front door. After self publishing several cassettes under this name, the group name was shortened to PGR. Kim Cascone was also ahead of the game on the whole ambient drone vibe, sometimes even with slight World music overtones. Don't let that scare you away though, as this is certainly far from room filler. With friends like Das (Big City Orchestra) and AMK (Anthony Michael King, American experimental musician who was active since the early 80s and created his own label Banned Production) on board, this early LP runs with all the above and more. Highlight would have to be the three part "Time" trilogy. In the haunting "Only Hell Burns Brighter' samples of Stravinsky's "Sacre du Printemps" are used. Very enjoyable. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC] 

 

Label: Permis De Construire – PER 011 

Format: Vinyl, LP 

Country: France 

Released: 1988 

Style: Experimental, Ambient, Drone

 

Tracklist: 

A1 An Elbow Of Crosslight 

A2 Only Hell Burns Brighter 

B1 Time 

B2 Bee Wings Beat 

B3 Alice In Wondertime 

B4 Time Reprise 

B5 For Kat Dancing 

 

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Minoy – Ejaculations (Paris, 1919) [Cass] (1986, Sound Of Pig)

Minoy (real name Stanley Keith Bowsza, October 30, 1951 – March 19, 2010) was a 1980's home-taping and mail-art legend from Torrance, California. The name officially has an accent like Joan Miro's name, over the letter "o". Minoy largely ceased activites in the early 1990's but before then collaborated with a wide range of American home-taping artist including If, Bwana (Bwannoy), Agog (No Mail On Sundays), PBK (Disco Splendor), Zan Hoffman (Minóy\Zannóy), David Prescott (PM), Not 1/2 (El Angel Exterminador), and many others. 

This album is a pleasant experience to listen to. Minoy's experimental album combines drone, ambient, richly textured sound collages which are very much accessible to the ear. Minoy though has provided some more darker moments on the album, with the addition of some screeching industrial aesthetic sounds/noise. It's richly satisfying at some moments when all genre sounds mesh together perfectly (especially on "A Night in Berlin (1931)"), but unfortunately the album does drag a bit from time to time as the album only features two long tracks with an average length of 30 minutes. Even with such pleasant sounds, it does get tedious, with only little variety during certain times on these two track. Though Minoy's 'Ejaculations (Paris, 1919)' is still a great album if you can get pass the flaws. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC] 

 

Label: Sound Of Pig – SOP 213 

Format: Cassette, Album, C60 

Country: US 

Released: 1986 

Style: Experimental, Drone, Sound Collage, Ambient

 

Tracklist:

A Ejaculations (Paris, 1919) 

B A Night In Berlin (1931) 

 

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Kleistwahr – Do Not [Cass] (1986, Broken Flag)

Kleistwahr's take on NWW's tape goofiness, pretty much, odd sounds and all, even going with including a nine-minute or so psychedelic drone rock tune in the midst of the exploration of tape sounds, for better or for worse. Not particularly mind-blowing stuff (unlike some NWW), but it's thoroughly fun while it lasts. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC] 

 

Label: Broken Flag – BF 52 

Format: Cassette

Country: UK 

Released: 1986 

Style: Industrial, Noise, Tape Music, Psychedelic Rock, Drone

 

Tracklist:

A Untitled 17:58 

B Untitled 18:46 

 

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Joanna Brouk ‎– Sounds Of The Sea [Cass] (1981, Hummingbird Productions)

California-based Joanna Brouk composed slow, sparse works intended for meditation and reflection, utilizing acoustic instruments, vintage synthesizers, field recordings, and the human voice. Her music was inspired by classical minimalism, but it was embraced by the burgeoning new age movement during the 1980s. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1949, Brouk moved to Berkeley, California in 1970 to study literature. Inspired by the cadences of poetry and the human voice, as well as the rhythms and soundings of nature, she began creating music. She spent numerous hours experimenting with synthesizers at the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College in Oakland, and studied under the tutelage of avant-garde legends Robert Ashley and Terry Riley. After graduating, she went into radio production, and composed music for documentaries and other programs. She entered Mills' graduate program for electronic music in 1980, and created a work titled "Holy Saturday Mass", performed at the Oakland Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales, as her thesis. Brouk's classmate Maggi Payne contributed flute, and the compositions appeared on Brouk's 1981 debut 'Healing Music', the first of five cassettes she released on her own Hummingbird Productions throughout the '80s. The tapes were a success with listeners of KPFA (where Brouk became program director) as well as therapists and hospitals. 'Sounds of the Sea', also released in 1981, was Brouk's most fully realized recording, bringing together nature sounds as well as hypnotic vocals and manipulated electronic and acoustic instruments. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

 

Label: Hummingbird Productions ‎– CH103 

Format: Cassette, Album, Stereo 

Country: US 

Released: 1981 

Style: New Age, Ambient, Drone, Whale Song

 

Tracklist:

Atravesta 

A1a Invocation 

A1b Atavesta 

A1c Playing In The Water 

A1d Aurora 

A1e Diving Deeper, Remembering Love 

A1f Going To Sleep 

The Sailor And The Nymph 

B1a The Reminder Of Long Ago 

B1b The Nymph Rising 

B1c Calling The Sailor 

B1d First Meeting 

B1e Touching The Sky 

B1f The Sounding 

B1g Return To The Deep 

 

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Alan Licht ‎– Sink The Aging Process [LP] (1994, Siltbreeze)

As guitarist with '90s indie rock group Run On, Alan Licht was known as a crafty pop sideman. As a member of Rudolph Grey's Blue Humans, he summoned feedback and noise from his guitar in the free improvised music context of post-punk New York. On this solo record, his love for minimalist music comes to the fore, presenting two side-long tracks of droning feedback that recall Terry Riley in their mantric intensity. "Betty Page" is a swirling and hypnotic noise-drone that collapses under its own weight; the guitars at times bring to mind Eno and Robert Fripp on 'No Pussyfooting'. While the flip side, "Polarity," is credited to Mike Watt, it is apparent that Licht is making a joke on the concept of it being a cover of the Minutemen, as the prevailing drone hypnotizes for some 20 minutes. Leading a new wave of minimalism coming from the post-rock quarter, Licht's explorations go a step further on 'Rabbi Sky', his subsequent solo album. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

 

Label: Siltbreeze ‎– SB31 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1994 

Style: Minimal, Avantgarde, Noise, Drone

 

Tracklist:

A Polarity 

B Betty Page 

 

Notes:

Solo guitar recorded live to 2 track at Snacktime, Hoboken, NJ, USA. 

 

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Hash Jar Tempo ‎– Under Glass [CD] (1999, Drunken Fish Records)

This second collaboration between Roy Montgomery and Bardo Pond unveiled a series of colossal jams, ranging from the simmering drone-raga "Präludium und Fuge. D-Moll" (that coils and hisses like a gigantic serpent), to the toxic nebulae of "Labiomancy", the thick magma of "Sources in Cleveland", the eastern psychedelic carousel "Hymenoptera in Amber Crybaby", and above all the "fried" 17-minute cosmic-psychedelia of "Atropine" (whose second half gives way to a surprisingly tender melody). Make no mistake, the relentless heavy tripping of 'Under Glass' is not for the faint of heart, it may just as easily thrill you as it may exhaust you. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC] 

 

 

Label: Drunken Fish Records ‎– DFR 44, Drunken Fish Records ‎– DFR44 

Format: CD, Album 

Country: US 

Released: 1999 

Style: Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Experimental, Ambient, Drone, Jam Band

 

Tracklist:

1 Prälaudium Und Fuge. D-Moll 10:29 

2 Labiomancy 8:45 

3 Sources In Cleveland 4:56 

4 Hymenoptera In Amber Crybaby 9:42 

5 Atropine / In The Cells Of Walken's Corti 16:59 

6 Gravitational Lens Opera 5:16 

 

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Total – Beyond The Rim [LP] (1993, Majora)

Total was the side project of Skullflower guitarist Matthew Bower, and actually predates his more well-known band (Total sprang into existence in 1982). It was originally the group that evolved out of Pure, with much of the early Skullflower's same lineup. Somewhere between 1985-1987, Total mutated into Skullflower, and Total subsequently became Matthew Bower's solo project. At that point it served as a more "ambient" counterpart to Skullflower's wall-of-noise approach; in recent years, however, the dynamic reversed itself until Total's releases were often considerably noisier and more chaotic than Skullflower's. [SOURCE: KORPERSCHWACHE.COM] 

Label: Majora ‎– LP-5755 

Format: Vinyl, LP 

Country: US 

Released: 1993 

Style: Noise, Experimental, Death Industrial, Drone

 

Tracklist:

A1 Dead Planet Feel 4:14 

A2 Sifter 6:43 

A3 Twitch The Bottle 10:46 

B1 Burnt Out Starcinder 9:32 

B2 Dagon 12:51 

 

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Robert Rich ‎– Inner Landscapes [CD] (1999, Hypnos, Soundscape)

The 74 minutes of music on Robert Rich's 'Inner Landscapes' were culled and cut from over two hours of live concert material. The work that became 'Inner Landscapes' was taken from a live and wholly improvised set performed in 1985. This recording is full and diverse with its synth drones, flute sounds, and Rich's lap steel. It is a fine recording of recycled music, and one that is both complimentary and insightful. This is a must-have recording for fans of Robert Rich and any fan of early new age/space music circa the mid-'80s. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Label: Hypnos ‎– hyp1915, Soundscape ‎– hyp1915 

Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 

Country: US, UK 

Released: 1999 

Style: Ambient, Experimental, Field Recording, Drone, Dark Ambient, Tribal Ambient

Tracklist:

1 Part 1 13:22 

2 Part 2 11:20 

3 Part 3 8:14 

4 Part 4 13:25 

5 Part 5 7:09 

6 Part 6 2:21 

7 Part 7 9:21 

8 Part 8 8:43 

Notes:

Recorded live on 9 March 1985, Berkeley, California. 

First released in 1988, with different edits on Audion/Auricle UK (AMC029). 

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Illusion Of Safety ‎– Ecstatic Crisis [Cass] (1986, Complacency)

Illusion Of Safety has existed and persisted since 1983, and like many projects of a certain age it frustrates attempts at pat summation. It began after Daniel Burke, a visual artist and music fan from Chicago’s northern suburbs, drew from Throbbing Gristle’s farewell concerts the impetus to make sound his vehicle for confrontation, self-discovery, connection, and transcendence. In 1986 Thymme Jones and Daniel Burke formed the Complacency label and proceeded to document Illusion Of Safety on a series of cassettes. [SOURCE: ILLUSIONOFSAFETY.NET] 

Label: Complacency ‎– CPC-3 

Format: Cassette, C60 

Country: US 

Released: 1986 

Style: Experimental, Sound Collage, Dark Ambient, Noise, Drone, Tape Music

Tracklist:

A1 Directed Action 5:20 

A2 Ceraunoscopy 4:10 

A3 You Figure It Out 1:30 

A4 Anger And Hatred Are Very Powerful Emotions 3:10 

A5 Music W/Out A Film II 2:20 

A6 Confusion 2:40 

A7 Flowering Blossom To The Full Moon 7:20 

A8 Make Everybody Think You're; (Of One Thought ???) 4:37 

B1 The Patient Tolerated The Procedure Well 5:05 

B2 Religious Sexual Spasm 1:30 

B3 Castrated Anxiety 6:00 

B4 Toneline 3 3:20 

B5 Dedicated To... Well, That Seems Rather Obvious 1:08 

B6 Mors Justi 3:02 

B7 Mother 6:00 

B8 Tenet 4:20 

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Nord – Ego Trip [LP] (1985, L∴S∴D∴ Records)

Nord is a Japanese noise project, originally form in 1979 by Satoshi Katayama and Hiroshi Oikawa. This lineup released a self-titled LP on Pinakotheca in 1980. The duo split in 1983 and both members continued to use the name Nord. Oikawa put out several releases on L∴S∴D∴ Records, but didn't play live. He ceased activities in the late 80s. Katayama continued as a duo with new member Makoto Ito. [SOURCE: DISCOGS] 

Label: L∴S∴D∴ Records ‎– LSDL-02 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Limited Edition, Numbered 

Country: Japan 

Released: 1985 

Style: Noise, Industrial, Drone

Tracklist:

A1 Ego Trip (1) 

A2 Chloroform 

B1 Chloroform 

B2 Ego Trip (2) 

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Organum ‎– Birds' Wings Were Glued To Their Bodies And Their Feet Froze To The Ground [CD] (1999, Die Stadt)

Mesmerizing drones created by percussion, strings, and electronics, this 1997 recording continues the path forged by Organum, this longstanding post-industrial group founded in the '80s. Creating stark atmospheres, these pieces reflect the architecture of the recording environment, and the group use the ambience as an instrument equally to their battery of electronic and acoustic devices. Over three extended tracks, David Jackman, Robert Hampson, Michael Prime, Emma O'Bong, and Matt Fox indulge in a deep-listening sound study which coalesces into a slow-motion drone that fills the sound spectrum with an almost orchestral intensity. Limited edition of 700 copies released in 1999, this is avant-garde music that sounds simultaneously ancient and modern, electronic and acoustic. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Label: Die Stadt ‎– DS21

Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition 

Country: Germany 

Released: 21 May 1999 

Style: Drone, Experimental, Industrial, Noise

Tracklist:

1 Untitled 7:28 

2 Untitled 35:34 

3 Untitled 4:40 

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Yximalloo ‎– The Worst Of 1981 [CD] (1994, Sakura wrechords)

Yximalloo is Naofumi Ishimaru alone, but he drafts a loose ensemble of players, including the core of Shigeo Ootake and Takashi Korgo (who appear on all discs), as collaborator-executors. All of his releases are on his own label, and none have seen a distributor yet (which is why you very rarely find his CDs in stores). Ishimaru works like a Japanese Jandek without the angst, like the Boredoms minus the bombast. Spiritual kin to early artpunk and especially the LAFMS, he revels in mock-ethnic music and nonsense. Lo-fi, sweet and primitive, he uses ancient drum machines, hand percussion, and electronic droplet noises, sometimes set to melodies gathered from some imaginary South Sea island where the traditional instrument is seemingly an old '80s synth. [SOURCE: YXIMALLOO] 

Label: Sakura wrechords ‎– C-03 

Format: CD, Compilation 

Country: Japan 

Released: 1994 

Genre: Electronic, Jazz, Rock 

Style: Experimental, Noise, Free Improvisation, Industrial, Drone 

Tracklist: 

1 Yximalloo Tribe's Ensemble 1:48 

2 Try Try Try 4:00 

3 Fela #7 + #11 4:46 

4 Radio Style 5:26 

5 Strange Charm 1:46 

6 Speed In Tokyo 1:21 

7 We Work 98 Hours For A Week 3:25 

8 RZ15V 3:44 

9 Not So Easy 3:08 

10 I Hate Music #3 2:13 

11 I Hate Music #4 12:37 

12 Off Libya 22:59 

Notes: 

Recorded in 1981 

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