Ars Sonitus (The Art Of Sound) is the project of Artur R. Sztukalski, a Polish soundartist now based in France. The Polish label Impulsy Stetoskopu has released the CD "Transfuturism Manifesto", an album packaged in a black box with the CD wrapped in a flag with the written manifesto.
Information on Artur and his Ars Sonitus project is very hard to find ... most information is written in Polish. He has been creating 'industrial music' since 1985 and self released a cassette in 1992. The cassette was limited to 6 copies. Impulsy Stetoskopu is a label operated by Rafael Kochan. It's a label I first became aware of in 2010 when he began the 'Encyclopedia Of Industrial Music', an ambitious project of books writing about Industrial and Noise artists throughout the age. Each book came with a CD. (Volume 2 featured a Dieter Müh track). Unfortunately there are only 3 volumes in print. It has now transferred to being internet / downloadable only : https://encyklopediamuzykiindustrialnejpl.wordpress.com. It is all in Polish. The Ars Sonitus album is limited to 100 copies, it is excellent and recommended and available by contacting Rafal at impulsystetoskopu@yahoo.com. Impulsy Stetoskopu also have an impressive catalogue with releases by Deviation Social, Brume, Entre Vifs and Murderous Visions to name but a few (well, the ones I have).
At the moment I am (slowly) reading 'Total State Machine' by Richard Cabut. It's a massive tome about the foundation and activity of Test Dept. "Compulsion" was their first 12" and features Cabaret Voltaire as remixers / producers. Copies can be found floating around the internet at a reasonable price.
Vertonen is the project of Blake Edwards. The two tracks here are from his latest release on the excellent Helen Scarsdale Agency label called "Einige Schadstoffe". (From The Helen Scarsdale Agency website) : "In 'Einige Schadstoffe', we have quite a potent homage to the classic era of industrial noise. Think Throbbing Gristle's 'Second Annual Report', Come's 'I'm Jack', MB's 'Symphony For A Genocide', and even Nord's 'Ego Trip'. The sentiment linking all of these records is a clinical detachment in the production and broadcast of scalding tone, sickly rhythm, and unclean readymades, emerging through the spectacle of the human conditions of alienation, paranoia, and cruelty. Ultimately, such works are intended as critiques by way of gonzo journalism, where the intent is not always what it seems. ... Vertonen, the longstanding project of veteran Chicago avant-noise technician Blake Edwards, masterfully recapitulates these strategies and affects, both aesthetically and materially. On 'Einige Schadstoffe' Edwards transmits feverish arppegiations cascading through nervous distortion followed by plodding rhythms and dead-tonal electronics that gird case studies on living monstrosities. There is also a rather clever, if oblique and almost Oulipian framework to the album. Plenty of breadcrumbs have been laid as to the nature of Edwards' puzzle, and we have already said too much about that". The cassette also has thanks to 'Mr Clean And Wilkins, The Tone Generator And Operator, Were (Are) Always In The Mind'. As if it needs mentioning, this was the line up for S.P.K. who released "Information Overload Unit" in 1981. "Einige Schadstoffe" is a great album and did get me thinking of Throbbing Gristle so I played "Greasy Spoon" from the 2007 album "Part Two ~ The Endless Not". Blake Edwards also releases on his own Ballast label (He used to run the Crippled Intellect Productions label too). He can be contacted here at : http://ballastnvp.blogspot.com. Also : https://www.helenscarsdale.com. Staying with a 1980's industrial vibe. 3 Teens Kill 4. (File alongside Suburban Lawns and Crash Course In Science).
'On This Day' in 1982 The Three Johns released their first 7" single "English White Boy Engineer" on the Leeds based CNT Productions label. The Three Johns were created by Jon Langford when he left being drummer for The Mekons (and part time Sister Of Mercy) joining forces with John Brennan and John Hyatt. (hence the name). I don't have a copy of the 7" anymore, but play the version from the 1983 12"EP "Some History" which contains their first two singles.
Playing the Vertonen cassette led me to spinning more Vertonen here at MuhMur Radio HQ. I dug out the 1994 7" 'Strip Mining' on Crippled Intellect Productions. "Camche" is the B-Side. The Modelbau 7" 'Metal & Motif' is selling well, although copies are still available direct from me. Please get in touch if you want a copy. Haemoccult Recordings now has a bandcamp page thanks to my 'pooter-savvy son Oscar. https://haemoccultrecordings.bandcamp.com/music. You can also hear the Modelbau single on the excellent "Lost & Found Sounds" radio programme. Hosted by Hamish Mackenzie and broadcast out of Taree (Australia) on the 2BOB FM station. http://www.2bobradio.org.au/lost-and-found-sounds.html. Hamish is also a member of The Loop Orchestra, a collective formed by Ex-Severed Heads member Richard Fielding. The Loop Orchestra also featured Ex-Scattered Order member Patrick Gibson. The track here is from the compilation "Ya Ji" on the Chinese label Kwanyin Records. Another new release (cassette) on the Helen Scarsdale Agency label is 'Pervades' by Hauras.
(From the Helen Scarsdale Agency website) : "Head to the western neighbourhoods of San Francisco and the city becomes a very quiet place after midnight. By 3am, one can almost hear the fog spilling past the sodium lights that illuminate a lonesome street corner at Judah and 15th. Whatever soundtracks that emerge from that time and that place inevitably embody that nocturnal atmosphere, a narcoleptic weariness, a waking dream of the insomniac. Such is the psychogeographical realm as channeled through sound for Hauras, the obliquely musical concern of San Franciscan Howard Ryan. ... In 'Pervades', Hauras returns to the fragments of guitar warbling through chains of echo and flange, his Basinski-esque loops of crushingly sad ambient melody, his EVP impressionistic vocals and his curious interruptions from scanner radio. More than before he expresses a confidence in his oblique craftsmanship that allows him to push the sounds to include a very compelling drum machine plus guitar noise track in 'Stellaged'. Richard Youngs, Gate and Graham Lambkin all come to mind, as does the terminally obscure project Dial (Jaqui Ham's post-Ut band of similarly late night expressionism). ... 'Pervades' concludes a trilogy of recordings made during the pandemic era that also includes 'In These Coming Days (2020) and 'The Glare Of The Nave' (2021). Inspired by Rinko Kawauchi and Audrey Szasz". Here I play the whole of Side A. Again, visit https://www.helenscarsdale.com for more information.
Whilst compiling the playlist for tonights broadcast I heard about the passing of Mark Stewart. I play two of his releases in tribute and memorance. Firstly the 12" 'This Is Stranger Than Love' which was released in 1987 and features lyrics pulled from The Pop Group's 'We Are Time' from their first LP "Y".
Information about Mark and his work can be found here : https://www.markstewartmusic.com/about. I noticed that Virgin Prunes had re-issued their first two 7" singles as a double pack 10"EP for this years Record Store Day. I don't usually bother myself with RSD releases but my copy of '20 Tens' is getting to sound a bit like a breakfast cereal (snap, crackle & pop) so this release seemed like a good idea. All tracks have been remastered and include a little lyric sheet. Ridiculously expensive and totally necessary. I am still listening to Manicured Noise a lot, the compilation album 'Northern Stories 1978/80' includes the Radio One "Kid" Jensen session from 1980 (recorded in 1979) which was co-produced by Manicured Noise and Mark Stewart. 'Metronome' was the debut single.
