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I tend to like a blend where the person knows how absurd it is and is enjoying themselves. I don't tend to like that noise that approaches it in a purely comedic way, I gravitate towards the darker side of things. I don't like when an artist is way too serious but those people can on the flip side create some of the most brutal noise despite being so dark n boring. I like a lot of crowd interaction and weird theatrics that border on absurdist comedy but retain a darker vibe to them. Noise to me has always been more of an expression of either internal darkness or on another hand an experience of natural forces. The four words that come to mind are resistance, rebellion, destruction, and power. When I do it, it's more of expression of resistance and rebellion but I like to have fun to and totally embrace the liberation of just creating this ruthless, all consuming, colorful noise-scape. 

I think it can be traced back to the early Industrial projects. Throbbing Gristle for example walked a bit of a line between grim subject matter and a humorous, or at least sardonic, presentation. I think there's a bit of the old English grim wit involved there, which can be translated or mistranslated either way.

I agree.  Personally, I think that "taking a bit of both" approach can also be seen, at various moments, in Whitehouse.

Picking up on something Mikko said about the state of UK Noise at one time, it made me think that there's long been something of a distinction in Noise between, for want of better words, absurdity and seriousness.

I mean that on the one hand there's the grim, serious, "transgressive" themed stuff and, on the other, a lighter and perhaps humorous approach to doing Noise, live and recorded. In any way, from themes to how sounds are generated to the sounds themselves to the image the artists portray, and so on. I'm sure you can think of any number of examples from each.

I think it can be traced back to the early Industrial projects. Throbbing Gristle for example walked a bit of a line between grim subject matter and a humorous, or at least sardonic, presentation. I think there's a bit of the old English grim wit involved there, which can be translated or mistranslated either way.

Anyway, I'm not trying to set up an either/or argument for these distinctions, or even suggesting that these distinctions are necessary. Just wondering if other people might have thought the same, and what they think about it, if anything. Personally I'm okay with a bit more absurdity and piss-taking in Noise, but not to the rejection of anything more outright dark. I am a bit cynical of people who present themselves as ultra-serious in Noise, but I'm cynical of that in general anyway.

Eight 'watercolours' of 'classic' ambient music with nuanced and delicate hues...
Eight touching instrumental 'landscapes' painted through soft and sober sonorities, barely whispered melodies, an ever-changing play of light and shadow with a flavour as hypnotic as it is relaxing.
A continuous observation of the surrounding landscape through swaying leaves and windswept tree foliage, catching and capturing in the apparent stillness every little movement, every element around, here skilfully translated into evocative and exciting sound vibrations.
With "Il ritorno degli inverni freddi" (The Return of Cold Winters) and this "Germinal" project, Federico Franzin, already active in a different and much more extreme musical context for his works under the moniker "Androphilia", signs a dreamy album of pure ambient music out of time for endless listening, more dedicated for deep listening, or as a pleasant background sound.

https://youtu.be/BclFvxIJy30

CD, 6-panel digisleeve, ltd. 200 copies

€12 + shipping

PM

A taster here:
http://www.special-interests.net/forum/index.php?topic=11456.0

Bump

shipping now!

http://freak-animal.net/2023/04/13/freak-animal-news-april-2023/

Did any US distros get this batch? Love what I hear but hoping to save on shipping and get from someone domestically.

You can lump him together into technologically advanced sounding, kind of high fidelity and perhaps cinematic category.
(...)
AM NOT belong to the ones who can push expression further and not just rely on easiest solutions.  Many times as simple thing as what kind of loop is there, the rhythm and feel how it repeats itself provides proof that some guys have good taste on that."

I'm a big fan of "Unpunished", but with all the rest held in high regards! One of the most intense body of work in newer artists, keeping up with "tradition" yet pushing it a few steps further. Still have to listen a few more times to "Cold + Disloyal".

Perhaps due to the tightly controled power electronics hi-fi sound quality I tend to place AM NOT in the ranks of Strom.Ec, IFOTS or the final album of The Grey Wolves or Stromstad's "New Devoted Human" (although all these artists and albums have their very own unique identity).
This type of hi-fi sound is something I have greatly began to appreciate, as it's clinical nature does not remove one inch of soul and dynamics (and in the case of AM NOT, it's aggressiveness is always on red!).

As for Congo Free State as main subject... nothing's crossing my mind, but, on a side note, being from Portugal I would say our own colonial history has a full potential for something to be done in the future. The last generation of fighters in the wars are now in their 70's so this is the moment to catch some testemonies.

New releases from Mlehst
-these are recordings from the second half of 2022 even more experimental excursions deep into avant-garde/musique-concrete/drone/noise/glitch

“Paramours” Pro-CDr digipak and digital
https://mlehst.bandcamp.com/album/paramours

“Grande Horizontale” Pro-CDr and digital
https://mlehst.bandcamp.com/album/grande-horizontale

“Dial M for Mlehst” Pro-CDR and digital
https://mlehst.bandcamp.com/album/dial-m-for-mlehst

“Smiling on both sides of my face” 4xC40 cassette box and digital
https://mlehst.bandcamp.com/album/smiling-on-both-sides-of-my-face-part-one
https://mlehst.bandcamp.com/album/smiling-on-both-sides-of-my-face-part-two
https://mlehst.bandcamp.com/album/smiling-on-both-sides-of-my-face-part-three
https://mlehst.bandcamp.com/album/smiling-on-both-sides-of-my-face-part-four

The CDrs and the cassette boxes are only available via mail order direct from Belief Recordings, email is bringbackthewhipp@gmail.com or find us on Instagram belief.recordings

Unpunished overall theme is strong, but also I remember thinking that how brutal was the history of Congo, plus in ways very "industrial". Curiously also site of the first photographic human rights campaign, already in 1904. One would think Congo free state would be among something dealt with, but perhaps some see it too obvious? Of course, also An Not deals more precisely Katanga, later detail in seemingly endless Congo chaos.

G.O. MaunduNi-Mau referring to Kenya incidents, UmKhonto-We-SizWe to South African incidents. It would be curious if anyone remember is there released dealing with Congo Free State?