08/31/18: New Releases on Absurd Exposition
PRIMITIVE ISOLATION TACTICS - Past Spheres and Present Circles CS"I first became aware of Taylor Geddes through his power violence band Subsist. It's a genre that requires a precise alchemy to render something convincing and heartfelt- an elusive target that Geddes and Subsist managed to capture perfectly, elevating the conversation in the much discussed practice to something larger- something wounded but learning, vast but personal. In the years since, I've come to understand Geddes' ability to hone ideas into a fine point in an age of blunt instruments. In the debut release by his new project Primitive Isolation Tactics, something lives within the layers of stutters and groans. Thickening hums are speckled with chirps and murmurs. Washes of static so rich you can feel them in your fingertips split open into a jagged space rattling with unnamable energies. Mountains questioning the storm clouds over rocky plateaus. Spitting fissures drinking in the earth's crust. A solitary figure crouching at the lip of the pines watching rain fall on the fields." - Josh Landes (LIMBS BIN)
In-house project. Mixer feedback, field recordings, static ruminations.
C30. Edition of 107 pro-dubbed in real time on green tapes.
Stream/download.Labels and distros can get in touch for trades and wholesale.
WOOD & METAL - Aversions CSTed Byrnes and Charlie Mumma have both been involved in notable experimental and abrasive projects for over a decade at this point. Byrnes through his percussion and source material contributions to works by luminaries such as THE RITA and ZOLA JESUS, as well as collaborations William Hutson (CLIPPING.) and his own solo efforts; Mumma as a member of SISSY SPACEK alongside John Wiese, his UNEXAMINE duo with Danny Costa (COST, ROHIT), and as the former kit-man for KNELT ROTE.
In WOOD & METAL the two take a harsh noise approach to loosely structured improvised acoustic percussion. Exploring the sounds of wood and metal (yes) as they occur in natural (read: unamplified) states of assault and battery. This is a stripped down focus on what could be considered source material, but in no way is it a calm before a storm - it's a storm in its own right. Given the chaotic nature of these pieces it's no surprise that some previous works have been utilized by THE RITA and Chris Goudreau (SICKNESS), taking the next step in illustrating the dynamics between the before and after. This is harsh noise. Turn it up.
C32. Edition of 110 pro-dubbed in real time on green tapes.
Stream/download.Labels and distros can get in touch for trades and wholesale.
THE RITA - Montreal 2018 (Digital release - available here)Living in and around Vancouver for the better part of my life, I've seen Sam McKinlay perform as THE RITA countless times. Skate sets, snorkel sets, nylon sets, various one-off live collaborations, etc., and the thing that I quickly came to notice is that, in the moment, every set feels like it's better than the one that preceded it. This remarkable consistency and personal oneupmanship makes every set memorable - pure nylon crunch at The Rickshaw, a backdrop of giallo clips at the Victoria Events Center, amplified skate rail at Antisocial, classic Egyptian/Roman film samples at the Nowhere space, underwater submersion at The 'Old' Yellow Cab Building, among so many others. These two performances dedicated to total ballet feet worship were among the more conceptual in McKinlay's live oeuvre, and were no exception to the rule.
The first set was the main event: A blank stage. A double-wide folding table with minimal gear on one side. The signature static crackle fades in - it's the pure-power sound of a master. The immense wall eventually gives way to familiar samples from previous releases. Various props are then brought out. A classical ballet record. A mannequin's foot. A ballet shoe. The foot is placed atop the record, and then inside the shoe with cautious, delicate precision. Preparing for pointe. After a brief reprise the musical theme from the ballet comes into focus. Then it's a study of the scene. A digital camera. Its flash as photographs are taken of the mannequin's foot in the ballet shoe. Careful to obtain the right shot. Large prints of these shots are brought out and taped to the front of the table. A display of the scene from the artist's vantage point. A vision captured. A reference for later study. A keepsake for the collection. The theme ends. The photo session is over. Another noise reprise. The stage is slowly torn down as we are lead into one last sample of familiar dialogue before a finale of crumbling static.
The second set is more stripped down. There is no camera. No record. No faux foot. Only a ballet shoe in the palm of McKinlay's hand as he sits in front of one of the large prints affixed to a table. The noise is mostly left to its own devices, interwoven with the familiar samples. There is again a study underway here. The photo is touched and traced by fingers that long to know all of the intricacies of what is on display. The shoe is worked over, its form and texture explored with a contact mic. He brings the shoe to his face and indulges himself in its glory. He lets it sink in to him and he into it. He breathes it all in. This is THE RITA, at last. The performance suddenly becomes not only a case study in obsession and form but also a character study of the performer as we are given this brief unguarded glimpse into something truly personal. How the set ends is inconsequential after what we have just borne witness to. This kind of intimacy is what matters in art, and no amount of text can convey its power.
McKinlay's dedication to his obsessions is familiar to most that are aware of him at this point. This current, and perhaps ultimate, obsession of the relationship between ballet and feminine form is at once the culmination and the continuation of every aspect that makes THE RITA what it is. The time was right to receive him in Montreal at this conceptual and performative high.
You can choose your favourite era of the project as you see fit, but the dedication and forward-momentum of THE RITA make it impossible to ignore the power of the moment.
This release is digital-only and includes a 12-page PDF booklet featuring the above liner notes along with select images and flyers from the two events.
Available here.
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Vancouver Noise Fest VIIIAn archival stream of the festival is now available on the
Absurd Exposition Bandcamp. Thanks to Anju Singh for her continuing efforts in organizing this festival for the past 8 years and counting.
All tapes can be purchased at
http://www.screamandwrithe.com.
All releases can be heard at
http://absurdexposition.bandcamp.comA full distro update will be posted this weekend. Thank you.
