G.R.O.S.S. label overview

[tiny_tove]

I think that was Chiaravalli's best noise/pe release.

[Baglady]

Not that it matters much, and I'm not even sure why I ask, but did the Envelope and Special series have metal tapes for the initial copies as well?

The Envelope series looks great, but that damn paper... Have bought two of them on discogs (Hyware and Skin Crime, both rather cheap, thankfully), just taking out the tapes made a nice hole in the side of each envelope. More robust reissues of the better ones in the series wouldn't be a bad idea.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

GRYS02 Aube / Nagisanite was this series of not really Gross stuff, but stuff he did for exhibitions? I got some tapes what he did outside regular Gross catalogue. I wonder if I have any of his old catalogues at hand to scan...?

This tape, includes live performance of Aube, recorded on hi-8 camera. Audiotrack remastered afterwards. Aube material was later reissued on "Benefit 1997" CDR. Sound quality is clearly live recording. Distant and colored by camera microphone quality. Still interesting and fairly clear in detail. Utterly icy drones and dripping water creating rhythmical patterns and deep humming loops. Slightly distorted and often echo drenched. Delay is often used to give rhythm patterns additional "polyrhythmic" level. Set is slightly edited in studio. It clearly has the beginning and the end (with audience clapping), but something is done in-between what makes set to fit into one side of C-45.
Nagisanite is some sort of indie-rock band. Slow melancholic guitar and singing, percussion... Well, you know. like lots of Alchemy records rock bands used to be. Zero interest for me, but I guess it is most of all for people who understand what they say.

 

[FreakAnimalFinland]

GR-026 Aube Frequency For Collapse (Cass, C46) 1994 
Excellent tape! This tape utilizes sound from building deconstruction site. Recordings contain wide variety of clashing metals, saws, hammers, often assembled to rhythmical patterns that occasionally remind of Vivenza. Futurism of old age, now almost nostalgic sound of physical labor. Typical ways of Aube to compose slowly moving track what starts from simple things and goes always more layered and busy. Extensive effects and short loops. Always keeping space for sound and detail in timing. Not "noise" in terms of harshness, but it's hard to really put this into any other category. (MA)

[FreakAnimalFinland]

GRS110 Kohei Gomi / Masahiko Ohno / Toshiji Mikawa / Akifumi Nakajima The Four Shrines (4xCass, Ltd, C40) 1996

I recall that originally there wasn't mentioned artists like this? Listing style is from discogs. I remember that it only listed each "project name" in GROSS catalogue. Artist details are found from packaging. Nice special project with session of 4 noise masters together and Akifumi being the mastermind here. Both, sound and the design. Exceptional packaging and full length sessions of each:

Meiji Jingu is Aube + Pain Jerk,
Ise Jingu is Aube + Solmania
Heian Jingu is Aube + Incapacitants
Atsuta Jingu is entire crew together

Out of these all, Aube + Pain Jerk is the winner. Just restless and brutal harsh noise. It starts with typical Aube style queit loop and neat usage of reverb, but Gomi's noises start to brutalize and dominate whole sound after a while. We end up into full-on Pain Jerk'sih harshness for long periods of time, only to return back into squeeling loops of vco/feedback sounds. Of course Pain Jerk at the time was in loop frenzy as well.
The rest, are not bad. How Aube mixes his stuff, it's works for his own, and selected amount of other things. Running some Solmania noises through effects could be good, but overall, re-effected already effect-based material is not always winning recipe. Quite opposite. Starting from raw and sharp and compact material will most likely give better results, unless method is adding stuff, instead of manipulating the existing one.

This same could be said about Aube+Incapacitants (or Mikawa solo actually) project. Rawness of Mikawa's electronics is not really present here until maybe later part of b-side. Tape starts with highly processed drone sounds and eventually becomes noise. But throw in tremolo and reverb and delay etc, and the fast modulated ripping quality of Mikawas work is very distant below the efx heavy sound of Aube. Eventually disturning and painful elements of Mikawa's noise start to crawl on the top. Still driven through slow flanger soon removes ferocity and makes it simply droning. Eventually drone is buried under heavy brutal harsh noise, which has way more bass rumble than Mikawa generally uses. Effect heavy, maybe closer to "As Loud As Possible" style of Incapacitants and is pretty close to the level of Aube/Pain Jerk set.

Of course one should not expect each tape being what the projects do as solo. Instead something what qualifies to be done under different name. Packaging and theme of four shrines release is very unique, and despite it is not as phenomenal like for example Density -compilation or some solo works of these artists, it is different - and very justified addition to collection even if you'd have bunch of stuff from everybody. Certainly expensive item to get now. I got my copy years ago, not even 100% sure who sold it to me. I got two theories, but nevertheless this is the ltd 14 copies metal tape edition what was for "staff only". It's dubbed all-on-red style and actually doesn't sound as phenomenal as most of the GROSS stuff. For reason or another. I may need to give a try to another tape deck too!

 

[FreakAnimalFinland]

GR-011 Aube Luminous (Cass, C46) 1993
I suspected that I had two copies of this tape, but not yet had time to check out if that is true. Tape was still sealed after so many years, so I assume I had to have other copy somewhere. Soundtrack for light installation, which consisted mostly flickering lights.
What you hear, starts with subtle sound of fluerescent light flickering. Fairly quiet sounds, and with Aube style of the early 90's, eventually looped and efx treated soundscapes will become massive noise wall, qualifying even harsh noise. Despite it is subtle and atmospheric for most of the time.