NOISEXTRA - A podcast about noise

Started by FreakAnimalFinland, May 31, 2019, 12:16:12 PM

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FreakAnimalFinland

I remember the shock of seeing them "live" first on one of those.... Old Europa Cafe compilation VHS tapes! Exactly what described. Smoke machines, big stage, lightshow, long haired dudes moshing hard with noisy industrial loops.

There was No Fun Fest Slogun show, where guy of Villains did some guest vocals. It was high pitched long screams, that didn't sound like Whitehouse or something, but almost like King Diamond vocals over droning PE synth tone. Since seeing that gig, I have been thinking that someone would have to do one day power electronics/industrialnoise blending with heavy metal vocals. Not growls. Not screams, something in lines of early Helloween, King Diamond and Agent Steel! Perhaps also first ever PE songs with someone doing shredding solo works. As far as I know, there is actually couple harsh noise dudes who are also into shredding guitar solos. It may sound as joke, but I would think it could work out.

One of the most difficult names to write correctly. It is half & half chance will the letters go in right order, still after multiple decades, when typing: M L E H S T .
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/06/29/in-conversation-with-mlehst/

Great interview I listened instantly when it went public. It is amusing to listen to interview of artist, who ends up ditching his entire archive of masters to garbage bin, since it doesn't seem to matter. Nobody really cares, and other things to do in life. Meanwhile, there just isn't really way how appreciation for project could be visible. Most often no idea what someone is working on, what they have available, are they looking for deals, did they have deals and looking to get rid of items...? Output is so huge, that it is hard to pick up absolute favorites. Tape on SPITE, old collaboration with Macronympha, they remain my favorite, but should probably remind myself how did the tape on Nuit & Bruillard was. I have feeling I listened it couple years ago and liked..  7" on Self Abuse, mandatory of course.

They discuss a lot about the seedy and shady UK humor. Expressions, the sweaty and dirty, Sunday tabloid type of things. There used to be so much so British specialities even 15-20 years ago when you visited porn shops of London. Something so British. Men in diapers. Rubber fetish, that would present itself differently thank germany, Denmark or USA. British trannies and cross dresses. Certainly used to be dirty old men, nothing elegant. Food-mess, cake in the face type of erotica, etc etc. Mlehst or Smell & Quim are (or used to) charmingly representing that type of purely unique seedy and bizarre culture. In what other city than London, you would have shop like Janus, just focusing on school uniformed girls getting spanked? I think both the magazine and the shop is no longer there, but luckily have been there in times when physical XXX oddities existed. 
On one tour, Grunt was playing some shows that included Onomatopoeia. The man of Cheeses International. On one nightly drives back from gig, I mentioned few days ago, I had bought book at Soho area porn store, called Tricking With Daddy, but didn't realize it was gay incest, which made it kind of hard to enjoy during tour, eh eh... I said "gay incest, is not really my cup of tea" and Onomatopoeia could not stop laughing for hours. It was literally hours of drive, and Steve just looks at me, says "not my cup of tea" and burst into endless giggles...

What I feel about British noise, may not be 100% reality how it really is, but hanging out with some of these beer-monger, red faced, seedy gentlemen with sense of humor is something what I associate UK noise to be.
E-mail: fanimal +a+ cfprod,com
MAGAZINE: http://www.special-interests.net
LABEL / DISTRIBUTION: FREAK ANIMAL http://www.nhfastore.net

Zeno Marx

In the noise and industrial world, I wonder if younger listeners realize how influential CMI was at the time.  I'm curious how CMI is viewed now.  Has it been relegated to something like Projekt?
"the overindulgent machines were their children"
I only buy vinyl, d00ds.

FreakAnimalFinland

Quote from: Zeno Marx on July 03, 2022, 07:18:15 PM
In the noise and industrial world, I wonder if younger listeners realize how influential CMI was at the time.  I'm curious how CMI is viewed now.  Has it been relegated to something like Projekt?

My assumption is, that CMI has very solid appreciation and cult following in Europe. Also due little crossover with Black Metal, it gained vastly bigger audience than usual industrial labels could.

New episode is again great! XOME!
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/07/06/in-conversation-with-xome/

It's 80 minutes piece, that ends abruptly and I guess did it continue more at patreon? Lots of stories, that some are kind of common with many 90's noisers who I talk to. Some are totally unique stories that you will not hear anywhere else.
One very very common thing in older noise seems that noise makers start to create before they know about scene or genre. Or they may know one or two isolated things, but having no idea that there actually exists something bigger. Probably mentioned this before, but I don't think anyone FA releated noise guys in Finn noise was really in the scene back in early 90's. Unseen Noise Death was familiar with Atta, Audio Stench, and such. Creating harsh electronics from roots of hc/grind/noisecore. Bizarre Uproar also, I doubt he had heard or got any real industrial noise when early works came out. Harsh noise was born out of some sort of internal will to push things further and futher. Same with Grunt. While stuff like "industrial madness?" tape (1993) may seem like it is just prototype of what noise tapes could be. Metal junk, radio noise, down-de-tuned guitar noise, etc. photocopies scrap metal photos as cover and all that, in reality, when that tape came out, there was no idea "noise scene" existed. It was pretty much Einsturzende Neubauten, MITB and formerly mentioned Finnish bands that I knew of at that time. Visual presentation or ideas had nothing to do with what are "scene expectations". Same was with bands like Bizarre Uproar. He just naturally leaned into xxx, gasmasks, corpses and whatever.
Only after sending this tape to grindcore tape trader in Czech Republic, saying that I would like to put out Grunt 7" some day, but I don't think there are any people in world buying this kind of noise. In couple weeks I received letter asking what the hell I am talking about. There are lots of labels putting out CD's and LP's and hand written letter included "contact these guys" and addresses of RRR, Endorphine Factory, GROSS and few others.
Just like XOME describes the revelation what was it Subterranean catalogue resulted, it was just this type of simple letter giving contact info to world formerly unknown & unheard. It is just result of living as teenage in small town, in country like Finland, with likelihood of seeing/hearing of underground culture being nearly zero.

Xome stories of Japanese scene of the mid-late 90's, where he lived few years, of course mandatory hearing. His role with harshnoise label/forum/website and all that, good to have documented. Story of Death Squad gig in Japan is funny.

I do find it curious that Xome & Greh are so firm about noise forums being full time job and impossible to manage. I have some theories why it happens in some boards, but during decade of running SI, I have had to kick out like 2-3 people, delete perhaps less than dozen messages, and most of topics tend to remain fairly civilized and drama free. I guess it is also more likely that drama tends to happen these days in social media, rather than forums that have slower pace?
E-mail: fanimal +a+ cfprod,com
MAGAZINE: http://www.special-interests.net
LABEL / DISTRIBUTION: FREAK ANIMAL http://www.nhfastore.net

Bloated Slutbag

Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on July 10, 2022, 12:47:28 PM
One very very common thing in older noise seems that noise makers start to create before they know about scene or genre.

In a way, for me it was almost exactly the opposite. In my ignorance I'd long assumed that the shit was de rigueur for, like, ages. Such that I'd never felt the urge to do what "had already been done, to death". There was this weird point, and it was weird, that I had to acknowledge that fuckers were not, really, doing the shit. Not to the extent perceived. Nowhere near. That the sense of an international phenomenon, much encouraged by a few radio shows running concurrently on a few different college radio stations, was, possibly, not quite developed to the extent then hyped by a few fuckers with tongues firmly lodged in cheeks. Took me a while, but I got there. And when I did, oh man, was my face red.

Good memories, but also, good memories of wondering what rock all these folks who professed to not know shit were living under.
Someone weaker than you should beat you and brag
And take you for a drag

SIEGSIEGSIEG

I've only listened to the prurient episodes and enjoyed them a lot despite the hosts. This is probably nitpicking, but I can't get over the very american small talkesque style that this podcast has. Everybody is laughing all the time at everything and being too cheerful for no particular reason. I feel like there's three american metalbros talking about Iron Maiden rather than noise. Of course the conversation can be casual, but I just can't stand the over the top reactions to everything. Maybe I'm just too used to Mikko's style in SI podcast and sarvilevyt podcast which I enjoy very much.

Probably petty to complain about this, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this before, I think? Maybe I should give white centipede podcast a try?

Zeno Marx

Quote from: SIEGSIEGSIEG on July 20, 2022, 05:01:24 PM
Probably petty to complain about this, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this before, I think? Maybe I should give white centipede podcast a try?
congeniality and diplomacy. Don't want to come too hard with the criticism. We're a sensitive lot.
"the overindulgent machines were their children"
I only buy vinyl, d00ds.

Johann

Probably has a lot to do with English as a first language as opposed to knowing it as a second language. That very direct straight forward style of communication you perfer is clunky and unnatural to native speakers and would probably be perceived as rude or at the very least odd (especially between two Americans speaking)....

that said, I do get the idea that what makes English a particularly challenging language is the loose style and indirect/roundabout way of communicating ideas and concepts which is probably frustrating. There is also a common criticism of Americans that they are too enthusiastic (everything is always great or awesome). Again though, this is probably due the second language vs first language and slang. I think it's the same in probably everywhere in the world.

FreakAnimalFinland

I think the giggling quality of podcast has been mentioned, but anyone who has listened bunch of episodes, will know that there are big differences there. Check out basically any interview episodes of 2022, there are plenty, and pretty much every episode is.. hmm.. how to say, serious? It's not like there would be constant laughter and yelling going on. After so many interview episodes, it was almost as if you need some Noisextra chuckles for change, where you get the joy of noise besides the information, insights and historical stories.
haha...

Now latest episode, I don't think there is any of the loud chaotic chatty quality.
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/07/20/in-conversation-with-fennesz/

It is slow paced, informative conversation with Christian Fennesz. I have no idea how people in "noise scene" followed things like Editions Mego -scene? It should be no news, that for me, whole idea of "computer noise" and artists working under their own names, is by default uninteresting. It is no obstacle I could not get over and appreciate, but if I'd be choosing what to buy, what to put on CD player, there is directions where I tend to lean to.  Any time people would be praising certain types of artists, I would kind of know that it ain't for me. They may be great, but I just don't have the urge to check out "mego artists".

All that said, Christian Fennesz has good stories, its good to listen to and his approach seems quite different from die hard tape noise underground.

Like he tells story of touring with Mike Patton, and instead of doing soundchecks, they preferred to spend time with fine dining. Going to michelin star level restaurants to eat well, instead of hanging out at venue waiting for soundchecks.

I have once been in michelin star level restaurant. At middle of different courses, waitress brought bowl of some sort of lemon liquid. I slurped that, down the hatch, and when waitress returns it turns out that bowl wasn't part of menu. It was just for washing your finger after you ate the chicken that was just served to table. Haha... fuck.. Well...  I ain't Mike Patton, so..
E-mail: fanimal +a+ cfprod,com
MAGAZINE: http://www.special-interests.net
LABEL / DISTRIBUTION: FREAK ANIMAL http://www.nhfastore.net

SIEGSIEGSIEG

Thanks for the comments guys and thanks for the recommendation Mikko.

I enjoyed the Fennesz episode very much and also listened to the Jacob Kirkegaard episode which was also very good. Slogun episode seems great so far also.

FreakAnimalFinland

https://www.noisextra.com/2022/08/10/in-conversation-with-jim-orourke-fenn-oberg-sonic-youth-gastr-del-sol/

This latest episode with Jim O'Rourke is really nice. 1,5 hours, where they focus pretty much on the... industrial-noise side of things. While Sonic Youth gets mentioned in URL, sure some guitar stuff gets mentioned, but it is most of all countless nuggets of information of early days industrial/experimental/noise and improv scene things. Organum, Merzbow, Mego crew, Sounds of Pig, touring, living in Europe back in the 80s/90's when Dragnet, Staalplaat and such were on highest. All sorts of things and man is full of excitement. Time runs fast and at the end of episode they talk how this interview barely made it to late 90's and there would have been couple decades worth of stuff to discuss. Maybe sometime, somewhere. It clearly seems that returning guests would be nice, since any time you do interview, after its done, there is countless things that suddenly pops up in your mind that should have been discussed...  yet "noise media" being as small as it is, you might not get many opportunities over the years!
E-mail: fanimal +a+ cfprod,com
MAGAZINE: http://www.special-interests.net
LABEL / DISTRIBUTION: FREAK ANIMAL http://www.nhfastore.net

Zeno Marx

RE:  Jim O'Rourke

This is a good example of why I'd like to see a chronological list of all the releases talked about in each episode. Into the episodes when the artist talks 95% of the time.
"the overindulgent machines were their children"
I only buy vinyl, d00ds.

FreakAnimalFinland

https://www.noisextra.com/2022/08/24/in-conversation-with-john-duncan-part-1/
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/08/31/in-conversation-with-john-duncan-part-2/
John Duncan episodes mentioned in other topic. Both good, but can be added that also leaves ton of things to discuss. I would be interested to hear of all sorts of things related to running label and such in detail. He put out so massive amount of stuff, but also moved from place to the another, so how to run labels and move from continent to another...
I've seen him play live, and talk in panel about LAMFS, but didn't talk to him at all. Awkward moment, where one has piles of records and read books of this guy, and artists has no idea of who who you are. Then interaction would be most like "hello, I like your stuff a lot, thanks!" haha..

In Conversation with Bill Orcutt (Harry Pussy)
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/09/07/in-conversation-with-bill-orcutt-harry-pussy/
I have never been that much into "this side of noise", but it is clear how influential Harry Pussy is for many people. Also very revealing how names such as Thurston Moore pops up frequently, as a guy, who helped to popularize not only specific noise bands, but also genre itself. These days, it seems as if rock'n'roll biz has very quickly the mentality of "pay to play, warm-up slots for sale!" -attitude. One of the many mechanisms for music biz to suck dry any money there is to be made. Even in fairly small underground, in some genres you'll be paying for the "exposure". I don't know was it yet like that with Sonic Youth, who probably could have done it. Rock bands lining up ready to pay for exposure. Instead, Thurston would get some obscure new interesting things happening to play. Totally the thing to admire. It would be curious to see what sort of math for example contemporary metal bands do, when thinking the little extra money would be better than reputation of being the guys who introduced audience to all sorts of new or overlooked wild bands..?
I personally never been Sonic Youth fan, nor I have that much solo stuff either, but would be quite interested to read/hear about his path of clearly consciously advancing other peoples work and noise/UG culture as a whole.

Various Artists – Good Alchemy Video
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/09/14/various-artists-good-alchemy/
These review episodes are becoming much more rare occasions! Was assembling some release packages while listening this, and the descriptions and enthusiasm just made me really really want to go and make noise instead of assembling release....

In Conversation with Mike Harding (Touch)
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/09/21/in-conversation-with-mike-harding-touch/
About 80 min interview, covers Touch label and related. Being around for so long, man got many stories to tell. As a finn, it is funny to listen how Mika Vainio, Sähkö, or such are being pronounced. There are good and revealing details of kind of obvious, but nevertheless often forgotten changes in society what affects the underground art. Even as "small" thing as affordable living in London. When the era of artists squats is gone, suddenly, how the money & time is spent changes very quickly. Old time tape edition sizes and all that is quite amazing.
E-mail: fanimal +a+ cfprod,com
MAGAZINE: http://www.special-interests.net
LABEL / DISTRIBUTION: FREAK ANIMAL http://www.nhfastore.net

FreakAnimalFinland

In Conversation with Rat Bastard (To Live and Shave in LA, Laundry Room Squelchers, Scraping Teeth)
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/09/28/in-conversation-with-rat-bastard-to-live-and-shave-in-la-laundry-room-squelchers-scraping-teeth/

I guess in most cities, or countries, you got someone who is like duracell bunny. Never stopping, always funny to talk to, always pushing things forward. When I listened to Rat Bastard interview, it seems like if you'd have to put try to explain such thing - just listen to this. For sure, there is nobody just like it, but there is this one type of person, what you probably recognize.

https://www.noisextra.com/2022/10/05/noisextra-at-the-vintage-synthesizer-museum/
Interview with guy who runs the synth museum. Which is not just the museum, but place you can book hours of time to play and record with lots of vintage synthesizers. This type of place would be perhaps what is needed for me. I don't really feel passionate about synths to level of hoarding them. Even now, with MS-20, CS-20, and couple of contemporary toys, I don't really feel much else is needed, when possibilities of these are yet to be taken into full use.  But if there would be place, to go to make some source sound tapes and such, would be nice. Los Angels, sadly quite far away!

https://www.noisextra.com/2022/10/12/randy-greif-golden-joy-club-with-guest-shane-english/
I am almost missing the Noisextra episode where they get to talk things like recent listening.  While in wcn, I sometimes wonder how it is so difficult to name some good recent listening, or perhaps it is because request is for new-ish stuff? But in noisextra these briefly described recent listenings are good things, especially in this episode it probably takes like third of the duration actually. Just casual talk about things they got, or what was published recently. Besides Atrax Morgue, Death Squad, Coil, Crawl of Time, Asmus Tietchens, and so on, also several names mentioned I have not heard or been exposed to.
Randy Grief is the main topic of episode. I have feeling his work has been discussed in SI forum long ago? Back when I started to explore noise and experimental music, Randy was found in a lot of compilations. LP on RRR was cheap and always available. I always associated his work among the RRR's "non noise" side. As not only he had the 1987 LP on RRR which is great, but also tracks on RRR's compilations like Testament, America The Beautiful, RRR-100, God Bless America, The Amazing H23/RRR ep,...    While always liking what I hear, nevertheless, if there is artists working under his own name, there is just some thing, why I hardly ever really start to collect that type of things.

E-mail: fanimal +a+ cfprod,com
MAGAZINE: http://www.special-interests.net
LABEL / DISTRIBUTION: FREAK ANIMAL http://www.nhfastore.net

Bruitiste

Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on October 15, 2022, 09:49:18 AM
In Conversation with Rat Bastard (To Live and Shave in LA, Laundry Room Squelchers, Scraping Teeth)
https://www.noisextra.com/2022/09/28/in-conversation-with-rat-bastard-to-live-and-shave-in-la-laundry-room-squelchers-scraping-teeth/

I guess in most cities, or countries, you got someone who is like duracell bunny. Never stopping, always funny to talk to, always pushing things forward. When I listened to Rat Bastard interview, it seems like if you'd have to put try to explain such thing - just listen to this. For sure, there is nobody just like it, but there is this one type of person, what you probably recognize.
Rat is definitely "that guy", indefatigable, and what a character.  Met him once before a TLASILA gig in Montreal, and after introducing myself just asked him one innocuous question, "how did it go crossing the border from the US?" and I swear he just talked non-stop for over half an hour in response, and could've kept going — but just totally funny and entertaining, so many stories.  Him and Tom Smith were such a force together in TLASILA (and TS himself was incredibly prolific regardless, up to the end), and hearing Rat also just makes me disappointed that the Noisextra crew never got Tom on the phone for a good long interview.  An artist like no other.

FreakAnimalFinland

https://www.noisextra.com/2022/10/19/in-conversation-with-zoe-dewitt-zero-kama-korpses-katatonik-nekrophile-rekords/

QuoteZoe DeWitt is a bona fide legend of industrial culture and ritual underground. We were thrilled for Zoe to sit down with us to discuss the entire history of Nekrophile Records and her projects Korpses Katatonik and Zero Kama. We get into many aspects of her work, from musical output to fashioning instruments out of human bones to her work within the occult and much more.

If you have read for example Nekrophile box set book, you have heard many of the stories before, but nevertheless, it is absolutely great to get some old timers telling stories of their works, running label back in the day, making of bone instruments and so on.
E-mail: fanimal +a+ cfprod,com
MAGAZINE: http://www.special-interests.net
LABEL / DISTRIBUTION: FREAK ANIMAL http://www.nhfastore.net