PURE (rrr sub-label)

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Pure label has quite special meaning for me personally. 1994, having just released couple Grunt tapes, I decided to sent Ron "One animal Above The Others" tape, and received in trade Emil Beaulieau "memories" CD, with catalogue and list of items. Seeing these items were just 20usd for 3 discs, as opposed to what CD's/LP's and for example Jap import tapes generally cost, it became my ultimate top-1 source to check out bands. And why not? Even if catalogue at first (early parts always came with list of pure discs that had been releases. Along "Memories" list consist only 7 releases that were out (Aube, Sudden Infant and 5 Emil Beauliea discs + future releases listing bunch of stuff, and not all of them even came out (like Borbetomagus members solo discs)) was small, it grew rapidly. In just couple of years, you could see that it covered not only the top players of the time, but newcomers and re-issues of old stuff. Not only noise, but PE, industrial, experimental. Not only USA or Japan, but basically anywhere. Japan, France, Switzerland, Usa, UK, Germany,...  Even if presentation was cheap and uniform, nothing else is. Thinking one could grab stuff of hottest jap artists (Aube, MSBR, Violent Onsen Geisha, Pain Jerk, K2, Incapacitants, etc) or old power electronics re-issues (Ramleh, Le Syndicat, Consumer Electronics, DMDN..) new power electronics (Deathpile, Murder Corporation, Söldnergeist,..) experimental humorous weirdness (R&G, Sudden Infant, Smell & Quim..), experimental sound (AMK, PBK, Pig City Orchestra,..) grim noise harshness (Chop Shop, Knurl, Dead Body Love, JTCH, etc) and it all seamlessly fits under one label name... This was really influential for my own operations as well.

I would dare to say this series molded more than one generation of newcomers in noise. It may appear quite irrelevant label at 2013, when most of bands who were new & upcoming, have quit. Some obscurities never became anything (who the hell is Fab44, Naj, 666VBN,.. etc?!). With c. 15-20 years years after stuff was published - with probably tens of thousands of new bands & releases happened after that... why bother?

I tell you why:
Every time I pick up some old Pure releases, I see exactly why it was put out. There is hardly ANY titles that could be said it lacks in quality. Due diversity, you may not like them all, but most likely is possible to see why it is great release.
Besides that, almost every title is available still in 2013. Hottest titles has been re-pressed over the years. Most unknown ones are still the original disc that came out. In times when labels are so busy making batches and move on to next, I find it very interesting that someone had probably vision, that this is not just flavor of the month or year, not the new trend to jump into, but pretty much TIMELESS noise, as good in 2013 as it was in 1995.

I don't have time right now, but thought to write some words of as many titles as I have energy to do (similar to GROSS topic or Xn topic). Feel free to write comments of label OR review individual releases.

It appears as if I'm missing one title anymore. When I look the catalogue, there is annoying moment of knowing that either 1) I have it somewhere I don't know and can't locate or 2) I don't have it. I have sold (and am still selling A LOT of pure releases. Most priced 6 euro each - hint!!), anything willing to trade me copies of:

** Le Syndicat "rectitude" CD **

ALL MUST BE ORIGINAL Pure disc cardboard packaging. I see these titles being sold for couple of euro range, but willing to trade cd for cd for any regular price discs on FA catalogue. I have the new cover versions in my mailorder, but just want the original packaging. So disc quality doesn't have to be mint.


Pure
Profile (according to discogs)
Pure was started in 1994 by RRRecords as a series of very affordable CDs by a wide range of experimental and noise musicians.
All releases were packaged in identical black & white slipcases, with a sticker on the front giving the artist and title. Most also included a fold-over insert advertising other releases in the series. The release notes were typically part of the CD artwork itself.
The series was officially stopped as of January 1, 2000. All remaining Pure CDs were repackaged by RRRecords in black sleeves with new cut-up style paper covers pasted on, unique to each release. However, the label did have one posthumous release in 2005 (LHD's "Opaque", in the original Pure packaging).

discography according to discogs:

*none   Aube   Purification To Numbness (Album) ◄   1994
*none   Sudden Infant   Solothurn ◄ (3 versions)   1994
*none   Emil Beaulieau   Memories ‎(CD) 1994
*none   Emil Beaulieau   Dedicated To Richard Rupenus ‎(CD)   1997
*none   Emil Beaulieau   Kill The All-Noise Japanese Artists ‎(CD)   1995
*DIDX-029401   Emil Beaulieau   Dedicated To Charlie Ward ‎(CD)   
*none   Emil Beaulieau   Dedicated To Masami Akita ‎(CD)   1997
*DIDX-031038   Consumer Electronics   Teenage Nuremburg ‎(CD, Album)   1995
*DIDX-031039   Ramleh   We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol I ‎(CD)   1995
*DIDX-031040   Ramleh   We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol II ‎(CD)   1995
*DIDX-031041   Ramleh   We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol III ‎(CD)   1995
DIDX-031042   Evil Moisture & Macronympha   The Tentacles Of The Octopus Sometimes Compete Against Each Other ‎(CD)   1995
*none   Haters, The   Ordinarily Nowhere ‎(CD)   1995
*none   Incapacitants   Ministry Of Foolishness ◄ (2 versions)   1995   
*none   Dead Body Love   Maximum Dose ◄ (2 versions)   1996
*PURE 15   Runzelstirn & Gurgelstøck   Dein Mund So Rot... ◄ (2 versions)   1995
*PURE 16   Phaeton Dernière Danse & Le Syndicat   Théophanie À Visu ‎(CD)   1995
*PURE 17   Knurl   Nervescrap ‎(CD)   1996
*PURE 18   Violent Onsen Geisha   The Midnight Gambler ◄ (2 versions)   1996
*PURE 19   Smell & Quim   Diameter Of Elvis' Colon ◄ (2 versions)   1995
*PURE 20   Chop Shop (3) plays Emil Beaulieau   Red & Buried ‎(CD)   1995
*PURE 21   Total (2)   Glassy Warhead (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   1995
*PURE 22   Naj   Resituation Smile ‎(CD)   1995
*PURE 23   Zone Nord   Roferon A ‎(CD)   
xxx PURE 24   Impact Test   Gangwar ‎(CD)   1995
*PURE 25   MSBR   Destructive Locomotion Dedicated To Chizuo Matsumoto ◄ (2 versions)   1995
*PURE 26   Pain Jerk   Trashware ◄ (2 versions)   1995
*PURE 27   FAB.44   Majik On The Moonlight ‎(CD)   1997
*PURE 28   Rend (2)   Proberta Gerber ◄ (2 versions)   1996
*PURE29   AMK   Play (Album) ◄ (2 versions)   1995
*PURE 30   Le Syndicat   Corrumpate ‎(CD, Album, RE)   1995
*PURE 31   Le Syndicat   Relikat & Schraguemusik ‎(CD)   1995
xxx PURE 32   Le Syndicat   Rectitude ‎(CD, Album, RE)   1995
*PURE 33   Kiyoshi Mizutani   Millstone ‎(CD, Album)   1995
*PURE 34   Masonna   Noisextra (Album) ◄ (2 versions)   1995
*PURE 35   PBK / Hands To / AMK   System-Music-End ‎(CD, Album, Comp)   1995
*PURE 36   Crawl Unit   Proprietary Acoustics ‎(CD, Album)   1996
*PURE 37   Thurston Moore   Please Just Leave Me (My Paul Desmond) ‎(CD)   1996
*PURE 38   Japanese Torture Comedy Hour   50,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong ◄ (2 versions)   1996
*PURE 39   Cock E.S.P.   Greatest Dicks ◄ (2 versions)   1996
*PURE 40   K2   Molekular Terrorism ‎(CD, Album)   1996
*PURE 41   Toy Bizarre   KDI DCTB 07 (TB-D Remixes) ‎(CD, RE)   1996
*PURE 42   Pig Shity Orgestraw*   Instructions For Use ‎(CD)   1996
*PURE 43   Murder Corporation   New Crimes ◄ (2 versions)   1996
*PURE 44   DMDN   Sling Trip (Comp, Album) ◄ (2 versions)   1994
*PURE 45   Merzbow   Merzbow Loves Emil Beaulieau ‎(CD)   1996
*PURE 46   666 Volt Battery Noise   Audio Super-Predator ◄ (2 versions)   1997
xxx PURE 47   En Nihil   Blood Dreams ‎(CD)   1997
*PURE 48   Akala   Delicate Instruction ‎(CD)   1996
*PURE 50   TAC   Out Of Context ‎(CD)   1997
*PURE 51   Söldnergeist   Terror ‎(CD)   2001
*PURE 52   Prick Decay   Mud Sound For Car Stereos ◄ (2 versions)   1995
*PURE 53   Putrefier   Trace Element Syntax ‎(CD)   1997
*PURE 54   Deathpile   Ne Plus Ultra ‎(CD, Album, Ltd)   1997
*PURE 55   R.H.Y.: Yau*   :Contiguous: ‎(CD)   

none   LHD   Opaque ‎(CD)   2005

[Andrew McIntosh]

I appreciate the simplicity of the packaging. Easy to post and store slipcases with little fuss. And Ron can be very generous with these in trades.

[ConcreteMascara]

I think I only have one Pure release, which is Deathpile's "Ne Plus Ultra". It made a big impact on me as listener and later as an artist as it was one of the first power electronics albums I ever bought. I still think it's Deathpile's best work too, even better than "GR". I got it from Hospital Productions at Dom's recommendation.

[whateverforever]

Some of the first noise that I ever got was RRR Junk Noise Omnibus and Pure discs. Early 2000s someone sold a bunch of them and I managed to pick up quiet a few.

[HongKongGoolagong]

Masonna disc is a real classic with two tracks from each of his separate styles.

Ramleh discs now made redundant by 'Awake!' set, but I have a nice rare Broken Flag edition of all three wrapped in transparencies.

Consumer Electronics is classic archive material with some funny stuff too - and of course much easier to find than the RRR box.

Things like Merzbow, R&G, Total, Cock ESP, Aube were all solid releases of quality material by the artists and for a budget price.

The Thurston Moore disc is very difficult listening of high pitched feedback tones. I gave my copy to a 90s era Sonic Youth fan to confuse them. Probably the most difficult listening of all the Pure releases I've heard is the bizarre and conceptual K Mizutani album.

Great and very influential label, great idea from RRRon.

[Goat93]

I oike them a Lot, since you can listen to the Music really cheap. Specially with some Bigger Bands it is essential to know, if you like it or not. I have a Lot of them and some are even better (in my opinion) than the "normal" releases (like Consumer Electronics, Violent Ohnsen Geisha)

[HongKongGoolagong]

This rare mispress looks like a fun thing to own - http://www.discogs.com/Chicago-Group-Portrait-CD3/release/4022485

Rend are one of the lesser known acts on the label but I remember their Pure disc as being good noise.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Aube   Purification To Numbness
Is his VCO recordings. Painful at times, certainly his most noisiest sources, often even annoying oscillator sounds. I guess Pulse Resonator could be better, but when thinking Praxis Dr Bearmann LP+7" special set... or cheap priced CD... CD will be certainly worth it!

Sudden Infant   Solothurn
For clueless kid like myself, hearing material what contains very physical and daily sounds of vocals, water, tape manipulations, was very unusual after hearing lots of "noise". I had no experience of musique concrete nor electro-acoustic, and SI taking some influence from such things, but approaching it from "underground noise" perspective made it very interesting.

Emil Beaulieau   Memories ‎(CD) 1994

The more simple, straight forward, one-dimensional EB recordings, with utterly powerful single sounds of rumbling noise. No multitracking, no density, just pure and raw noise sounds, often ripped from someone elses records. One with R&G record - simply possessed my ears for decades. I can't get enough of that track. Absolute classic. Is it EB's achievement or not, hah, I don't care. He made great selection of other peoples work.

Emil Beaulieau   Dedicated To Richard Rupenus ‎(CD)   1997
Emil Beaulieau   Kill The All-Noise Japanese Artists ‎(CD)   1995
Emil Beaulieau   Dedicated To Charlie Ward ‎(CD)   
Emil Beaulieau   Dedicated To Masami Akita ‎(CD)   1997

All these are much more dense and busy albums. They're all minutoli records, meaning the usage of 4 arm turntable, playing other peoples noise records, malforming, looping, destroying into new noise masterpieces. If you ask me, the order of brilliance is: Masami, Rupenus, Japanese and finally Ward. Charming sound of turntable needle fucking up broken records. Sounds much more harsh and fierce than many pedal/contact mic type of records. They are not heavy by any means. Just broken and dislocated.

Consumer Electronics   Teenage Nuremburg ‎(CD, Album)   1995

As said be Hongkonggoolagong, it's very hard to buy any old CE stuff. Rare tapes or rare vinyl boxes are out there, but if you want something what ain't going to put you bankrupt, this is it. Shortwave radio old school power electronics and kids having fun.

Ramleh   We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol I ‎(CD)   1995
Ramleh   We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol II ‎(CD)   1995
Ramleh   We Created It, Let's Take It Over Vol III ‎(CD)   1995


As said, you may not need these if you go for AWAKE box. Their sound is thin compared to old tapes or records. Don't know why. But for me personally, highly influential releases. When I heard these, and when I got access to first delay effect... huh... fuck, delay drenched feedbacking vocals was all you could heard in Grunt for next couple of years!

Evil Moisture & Macronympha   The Tentacles Of The Octopus Sometimes Compete Against Each Other ‎(CD)   1995


Tape noise on CD. That's what it is, I think. Not loud, no brutal,... but well, it is. But its something what rather would have been regular tape release than "cd album".

Haters, The   Ordinarily Nowhere ‎(CD)   1995

My most listened noise album ever. I think this has almost everything what needs to have in noise. So many times I tried to capture atmosphere of the album, without copying or imitating it. There are two stories I have heard what it actually is. One from RRRon, one from GX. Both have mentioned they did most of the album stuff, hah..  I would guess it is most of all sounds of Haters "In shades of fire" album, but even more monolithic. If I say WALL NOISE LIKE IT SHOULD BE, believe me!

Incapacitants   Ministry Of Foolishness cd

So, you got to choose, do you take Opaque, As Loud As Possible, El Shanbara Therminosis or this. Latest mentioned, should be still available easily (from Freak Animal at least! Re-issue by Segerhuva), but Ministry of Foolishness doesn't lose anything when compared to all these others which constitute the milestones of this more electronic, more heavy and dense era of Incapacitants. It is not as fierce and irritating as the early days feedback and hight pitch crackle, but you can simply sink into busy walls of electronics as if it was ambient!

more comments later...

[Zeno Marx]

For myself, the most notable thing about it is how brilliant it was from a business perspective.

[HongKongGoolagong]

For myself, the most notable thing about it is how brilliant it was from a business perspective.

As far as I can make out the fellow makes a kind of living from a more regular second-hand-record business, and while RRR and Pure as a label didn't exactly enjoy losing money (who does?) I have serious doubts that he has made much from the experimental and noise output over the years.

Maybe it's because the very first record I ever ordered from overseas (Eugene Chadbourne 'Country Music from SE Australia') was an early RRR release, maybe it is his generosity when it comes to trade deals, and maybe I'm being too kind about the wildly variable quality of his labels' output, but I would say RRRon is one of the most positive and open-minded influences on this scene there is. Have only ever met him once very briefly, but there are very few artists or label managers who have proved themselves as bullshit-free, good-humoured and trustworthy as this gentleman.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Well, I guess there is more in good business than just making tons of money?

One could think that you minimize costs, you minimize needs of work (individual artwork, packaging, difficulties of shipping). And thinking what was usual price of CD in 1994, I think 3 for 20usd was basically price you couldn't get even one CD or LP from certain labels. It would be safe to say he moved tens of thousands of discs, which may not make any significant income compared to... ehm.. "real job", but whether these titles was moved by retail or trades, it still is probably something very different that trying to operate with tapes or LP's or even regular priced discs, which are hard to put out in such a pace due demand of attention to packaging and individual artwork, costs of making, time of making, space of storaging,

To get both known bands, and not known bands, but sell cd's in bulk, you could possibly lure people to try other discs they knew nothing about. At least I ordered things like 2 guaranteed names and pick up 3rd I knew nothing about. And then bands like Zone Nord or Rend - would you have ordered if being 12-15usd CD on main catalogue?

Probably not so urgently. I guess one of the absolute key ideas businesswise is the batch of 3. So also names with no status move better. I guess same idea is used later by many labels. Putting out batches, so all sells better, than release individual titles, when only hottest titles are ordered instantly and rest later. When option to save time, money(shipping), people grab more.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

One could also mention that Groundfault and PacRec both refined the concept.  Groundfault had the quite uniform design, but all new sound (no re-issues) and full color jewelbox.  PacRec was unique artwork in everything, but most discs packaged in cardboardsleeves. His pricing went further, being 20usd for 3, 5usd for each additional. 5USD, sometimes for full color jewelbox regular CD release, should be very good for any customer. But for distributors, it becames very hard to carry items what should be sold for less than (for example my own releases often cost to-) manufacture.

[tisbor]

Nothing much to add, great label!
Getting tons of Pure CDs in trade from Ron provided hours and hours of top quality noise entertainment. I can consider quite a few Pure releases among my favorite noise records.

[Steve]

Yeah, nothing much to add either ... was a great label. My personal favourites are the Soldnergeist and Toy Bizarre releases. I remember buying the Ramleh releases from Depth Charge shop in York and being disappointed by the lack of information and professionalism in the packaging, but then as I realised it was part of some "bargain" series I started collecting. There was a magazine called "Progress Report" that gave away copies.
I suppose RRRon is carrying on the ideal with Recycled Music tapes? 

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Ron said once that Recycled series is his best business idea. Considering, that this simply transforms ANY tape worth of 4 bucks. Its most of all recycled mainstream tapes, but already years ago mentioned he started to dub over dead stock of other labels noise tapes.. haha! But I guess, it hardly matters. Recycled series is, however, completely different league in terms of focus and quality. Not that there wouldn't be some good tapes, but it's more of idea in general, that whether each tape is worth having or listening...