Maurizio Bianchi -MB- Appreciation topic

Started by tiny_tove, March 03, 2010, 12:35:42 PM

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tiny_tove

I am starting with this old interview :

FOCUS ON: MARIZIO BIANCHI

An exclusive soundohm interview with Maurizio Bianchi (MB) I made at the end of August 2003

1. The history of industrial/noise music is rooted in the end of 70s. During this time passed by, generations were changed, and life was changed too. But there are still many people who are into noise music very much, and who try to make it on their own. Now, we can't avoid the proper influence from the outside, because there are so much noise bands around. When you started back in early 80s, you felt completely different. No cliches, no proved ways, no scene. Can you tell us about your very first impulses which turned you to this dark musical terrain? Were your first musical attempts documented?

I came from the Punk experience, it was circa 1976/78 and I was involved in the reaction against an inhuman and conformist society. The same spirit trained my music path, drift towards the disintegration of pre-manufactured sounds and the achievement of my musical independence, far away by mass-media clichè and music businness. My first musical attempts were never being documented, in fact at that time (76/78) I started my first experiments with an acoustic guitar but I never recorded anything, so they are concealed in my archaic memory.

2. Did you communicate with other musicians in those early days? Can you remember other projects you liked then?

I was in contact with Nigel Ayers from Nocturnal Emission, William Bennett from Come Org., Masami Akita (later Merzbow), Philippe Fichot, Michael Nguyen and few others wich I don't remember now. At the time, I was mainly interested in composing soundtracks (MOERDER UNTER UNS and ARMAGHEDDON) but at the end those plans have vanished into oblivion.

3. Almost all your albums were produced and released on your own. Why? You were not interested to get in touch with labels or not satisfied with the way the scene worked? Disco music ruled the world from 1975 through 1982, as well in Italy (along with pop and new wave) therefore the experimentation in music was amorphous and sterile. Record labels used to produce conventional pre-manufactured bands and there was no space for something diverse and truly different. That's why I decided to self-produce my music - it also gave me the opportunity to achieve the best freedom; acting outside from music industry circuits I had chance to create my own music, something I really would like to do without any pressures.

4. How did you managed to spread/distribute your music? In early 90s, many MB albums were re-released on tapes (by Murder Release and Banned Production labels) and even on vinyl ("Aktivitat" on Zabriskie Point). They seem to be bootlegs or not?

Trough alternative distribution circuits and contacts with other musicias and supporters in the whole world, above all I received a good help by Sterile Records, Aeon Records and Broken Flag Records. Those re-prints are unauthorized bootlegs, so don't buy unauthorized "bootlegs" and discourage others from doing these , unscrupulous business practices

5. Can you speak about technical equipment you used, and more detailed about your methods of composition?

At the time of Sacher Pelz I just used a turntable and some vinyl LPs to make loops, reverberations, then, using a tape recorder I mixed all with other concrete sounds. As MB I bought a Korg synthesizer and I also found one of these sinthy machines on the second-hand market, those used by Cosmic Couriers (!) thena Roland KS20 rhythm-box, an Echo-box and a two-track tape machine. I have composed my music creating a first track and then overlapping another recorded track thus producing the desidered result.
6. Please tell me something about Sacher Pelz and Nun. Were they your side-projects? If yes, where was the difference? If not, please explain your relation with them.

I never heard of Nun, so I've no relation with him, while Sacher Pelz represent my first attempts with concrete experimental music, under that name I made four works recently re-issued in a four CD box titled 'mutation for a continuity' on Ees't label

7. Your first works were devoted to the power of industrial technology and its dehumanization of society. From your current point of view, why this subject, being initially conceived as the
instrument for creation, became the symbol of destruction in those days?

Because men are not able to take the technology under control, so they can't control the developments in the long term. The consequences could turn out catastrophic, as it happened for example with pollution: in the beginning the industrial civilization seemed to offer well-being and happiness to its technological adepts, but to the detriment to the atmosphere. When it has been realized that the industrial civilization requires disrupting the living conditions of the same habitat in which its sons would supposed to live in ideal conditions, it was too late, unfortunately

8. Where is the barrier between the ideology and music? There were (and are) many musicians which put into their works completely different ideas, when the resulting music can be quite similar. On the other hand, industrialization can also inspire people in the positive way: technocracy, total computer control, it brings up the music which calls the people to walk in
line and work like the machine - techno, ebm, various rhythmic styles

...A barrier does not exist, there are just similarities. Nowadays the prevailing ideology is consumism, and the music that springs is music for consumers, it lasts throughout a season and that's all. On the other hand, there is a music wich is the opposite way to consumism, able to survive the time, and even after years it results actual. Why? For the simple reason that the author/manipulator of similar kind of music constantly tends towards a creative act, in his microcosm the artist is able to re-create a music that is out of time, dilated in it to come, untill the future will come; this is why his project resists in the long run.

9. Why did you abandoned your music activity in the mid 80s? Except the religious issues, which are too personal thing to speak widely about, can you explain your retirement or disappointment, your feelings and memories in those difficult days?

For the simple reason that, by now I said everything I had to express, and before running the risk to sink in a sterile repetition or in a vain parody of myself, I retired to devote my time and energy to funding research in my inwardness, my feelings, my spirituality; at the time I haven't had found a real aim (and music is just part of it) wich is to consider my spiritual need and try to find my complete equilibrium.

10. For many people, it was really great surprise when you came back to music after 14 years of enigmatic absence. I know only one album which were released then, "Colori", it musically describes your path in very contrast way, symbolized by colours. Why was it neccessary for you to put this conclusion to the audience?

As the liner notes say, after a 14 years of meditative pause, I am back to music now describing my colored sphere in a world sadly painted in black and white. 'Colori' represents my genuine feeling turned to sonorous landscapes, near to be imperceptibles but discreetely real. 'Colori' is the first chapter of the trilogy that includes 'first day/last day' and 'dates', musical water-colours of gloomy dyes that perpetuate my thirst for spirituality (not to be confused with mysticism). With my last works (frammenti' and 'antarctic mosaic', both released by Ee'st) I'm partially back to fragmentary suggestions of my early experiments

11. As the continue of previous question, let me know your attitude with massive re-edition of your early works, released on CDs by Alga Marghen Records. Was it initiated only the this label? Why did you supported this idea?

I agreed with the official re-release. Emanuele Carcano (of Alga Marghen) found me after a long troubled search, and pointed me out a return, that's why my early experimental layout was gaining general consents. It gives me new vital energy, and the rest is just recent history...

12. The most "recent" MB album I've heard was "MB plays Clockwork Orange". Until it's one of my favourites films, I am interested to know your meaning about this film and the idea behind the album.

Emanuele Carcano had this release thanks to mail-artist Vittore Baroni, and when I've been noticed about the re-release I started being very curious to listen to it, as I completely forgot about this old tape realized in 1980. It returns my mind back to the existenzialist background of that movie. Probably, contorting the original soundtrack, I have rejected the ghosts of a technology which tries to inculcate lifestyles, preconceived ideas or useless modules in his interlocutors, so nobody would refuse to conform his existence to preestablished models.

13. Are you interested in making music nowadays? What the leading interests you have now?

Nowadays I'm still involved in composing and decomposing music. I've started a collaboration with the german duo Telepherique for a project focused on uselessness of time's calculation compared to the precision of time itself - 'zehn tage' will be published at the end of th year.

14. Rumours said that you became one of Jehova's Witness. On my very profane level, I just came to the conclusion that the faith is the only thing the single human can own. Besides the faith, we probably have nothing, simply NOTHING. Being grown up in atheistic country which Russia became to be in the communist era, I had nothing to do with religion, and now I am going to revise my system of values. I can't know anything about Jehova's Witness, but I would like to ask you about this movement - maybe nothing personal but the truth which can't be found easily in these days of total confusion.

Bearing in mind that this is not a religious propaganda oriented on a way of sullen proselytism. It is just the pure expression of my hidden, deep inner life. The non-conformism of the Jehovah's Witnesses, or, better, this form of adoration appealed me from the beginning. Considering also that it is based just on God spell, it's devoid of ideologies, philosophies, theologies and the harmful doctrines that almost every religion use to make its disciples swallow. As Christ said (the true leader of the Jehova's movement) in a famouse sentence:< And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free> [John 8.32]. Thanks to the bible, I have refused many false traditions, Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, or any other holidays (save one, the Memorial of Christ's Death during Passover). They believe these celebrations grew out of ancient false religions. I relieved my past blames commited by ignorance, as I did'nt knew the truth, and now I feel like a dove flyng toward the freedom, the real freedom wich is the faculty of exercise my free will.

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manuel-ronf

thanks for this, deep and nice interview!

Andrew McIntosh

Just this week got the Sacher Pelz In Hoc Urbia Miazi album. What's interesting is that it was recorded "during the thermo-electronic summer of 2006", yet manages to retain the kind of recording sound Bianchi would have gotten when he started the project, as opposed to more relatively recent MB material like "Colori", which is essentially easy listening synth music.

Does anyone have any information as to whether Sacher Pelz is a going concern or not?
Shikata ga nai.

Stridulum

#3
Quote from: Andrew McIntosh on March 04, 2010, 11:58:40 PM
Does anyone have any information as to whether Sacher Pelz is a going concern or not?

It's a going concern, or at least it was, since Maurizio announced a few months ago that he would stop recording any new material and therefore stop all activities as MB or S-P. Everything that keeps coming out, new releases or reissues, is stuff that has been recorded or agreed upon before the aforementioned announcement.

Anyway, the first S-P comeback release was the "clerzphase" cd-r on my own label in 2006, then came the "in hoc urbia miazi" cd on OEC, the "hibakusha" collab. cd-r with Amon Cell, and now there's a new cd-r out on the Tibprod label, "l.e. cherz pas". Plus there's also a split LP between Cris X and Maurizio Bianchi, with Maurizio's side entitled "heczplaser", which leans onto the S-P side of things even if it's not a proper S-P release.

EDIT - I forgot the two tracks on the "Manifesto Rumorarmonico Post Futurista - Tributo A Luigi Russolo" LP comp, and one on the OEC 100 compilation box.



Andrew McIntosh

What reasons did he give for giving up recording? Think it will be permanent?
Shikata ga nai.

Stridulum

Here's the e-mail he sent out to his contacts last year:

Dear friend,
after an appropriate meditation I inform you that from today, for strictly private reasons, I'm stopping making music. Of course, all the projects already started (for example solo releases, reissues, collaborations, etc.) will be accomplished, except some rare exceptions.
Thank you for your understanding,
maurizio bianchi 19th August 1979/19th August 2009


When I spoke to him about this, he told me it was kinda like the "closing of a cycle". I guess he will keep his word, but knowing Maurizio and his endless enthusiasm about his music, I wouldn't be surprised if he will decide to do something else sooner or later. We'll see.



Andrew McIntosh

Thanks for that. I for one am sorry, but if he wants to, he wants to, although I hope you're right
Shikata ga nai.

tisbor

QuotePlus there's also a split LP between Cris X and Maurizio Bianchi

MB's side on this lp is meant to be an epitaph on Sacher Pelz or something the likes of that .
SP side on OEC double LP is really really good and surprisingly heavy .

Ashley Choke

Just got myself the Mectpyo Box on EEsT, absolutely massive!

Whats the whole deal with all the different versions of Symphony For A Genocide ? Is there any difference between the SFAG reissue released on EEsT and the version on Hospital, except of course for the inverted colour, and what about the LP version on Weird Forrest ? That's the same material as the Hospital release right? And what about all the different tapes and the re-releases of those(VOD and other?)

acsenger

Here's what I know based mainly on the releases I have and Discogs: Symphony for a Genocide was released as an LP on Sterile Records in '81. EEs'T Records re-released this album on CD in '98 as part of their Archeo 1 box set, and at the same time or later as an individual CD too. These CDs also have some bonus tracks from a compilation. The CD reissue on Hospital & W.M.O./r from 2007 seems to have the same content, only the cover has inverted colours. The Weird Forest LP from 2011 is apparently an almost exact reissue of the original LP from '81 and the music is the same (it doesn't have the bonus tracks from the CD editions).

There were also two tapes on Broken Flag in the early '80s and after having read the BF feature in As Loud As Possible, it seems one (Symphony for a Genocide) was the same as the original album on Sterile (although the picture on Discogs shows there are 2 additional tracks...) and the other (S.F.A.G. 81) was a remix MB did (which is very different from the album proper). According to Old Europa Cafe, this remix was re-released on CD unofficially in '94 on Tegal Records(as SFAG) in a "truncated" version. The remix was then officially re-released in its entirety (and remastered) on CD by Old Europa Cafe in 2010, together with remixes by Nordvargr, Erik Jarl and Peter Andersson.

Then there's a cassette called SFAG on Flowmotion which I don't know anything about. It might be the same as S.F.A.G. 81. There's also SFAG, a cassette released by Mirror Tapes in 2010 which the label says "corresponds with the deleted CD version issued on Tegal Records in 1994."

The Archives set on Vinyl-on-Demand has a track titled S.F.A.G. No idea where that's from, although since it seems all the other tracks are from cassettes, it might well be from S.F.A.G. 81.

P-K

imho everyone needs ArcheoI and ArcheoII, Aktivitat & SFAG ......i made the mistake of buying lots of 'come-back MB' (on Silentes etc), regretting that now....

FreakAnimalFinland

Yeah. I pretty much lost interest TOTALLY with the comeback releases. I find it hard to even listen to many old classics, since it just ruined it for me. And honestly, even with all the legendary status and pioneering force, MB was never that huge influence or "idol". I got probably couple dozen releases, though.
I think I need to try heal my ears with some old MB. This is what I managed to do with Merzbow and Aube, so I guess it's doable!
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acsenger

I've heard a couple "comeback" albums and they weren't bad but nothing comparable to his classic stuff either.

I also agree the Archeo 1 & 2 boxes are essential (although box 2 has a few albums that are "only" good and not really good like the others). A few years ago Mectpyo Box was released; it's the two Archeo boxes put together and I think it's cheaper on Discogs than buying the two separate boxes.

I think it's interesting to note how masterfully MB was able to select the best material that he would release on vinyl and release the lesser (but still good) material on cassettes. His cassettes usually sound less focused and more raw material-like, although they still have that MB-atmosphere. I'm talking about his classic period here, of course.

By the way, what other albums are there that are similar to his classic stuff? For example, Nord's Ego Trip is very heavily influenced by MB, although I think it's not as good. I know there were early '80s Italian groups that were influenced by him, but I don't know them. Is La Mutazione by Giancarlo Toniutti similar in atmosphere? Or Mauthausen Orchestra (I've got the They Never Learn! LP but don't have a record player now)?

Andrew McIntosh

La Mutazione is something I really need to get an actual copy of, it was re-released on cd with an extra track only a few years ago. Very dark, quiet, gloomy sounds, with some noticeable similarities to MB material but to my mind a bit more focussed and cinema-esque.
  Not sure if Nord where actively influenced by MB or not, but Ego Trip is a fantastic album and I'm reminded to get a copy of the new pressing, so thanks for that. I would argue there is a great deal of difference between Nord's sound and MB, Nord being a lot more minimal.

Incidentally, while I've got the cassette re-release of MB's Technology X from Mirror Tapes I'm meaning to get the double cd version soon - I understand it has extra material or out-takes or something?

As for Mauthausen, there's a thread discussing that on this forum. I'm quite the fan of the earlier material, like anyone else, but haven't heard any of the newer stuff everyone hates so much.
Shikata ga nai.

RyanWreck

I had always thought I would be way more into MB than I actually am considering how much I love Mauthausen Orchestra. The only stuff I have kept of his is the Broken Flag tape (SFAG 81) and Voyeur Tape (paid out the ass for that one and I think I keep it more because of that reason alone) and I really, really enjoy Triumph of the Will and Neuro Habitat. Beyond that I never really got into it much. Suggestions?