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rhythmical industrial

Compactor – Total Data Control (2019)

Discogs.com

It is good to see that some people remain active in the scene. Two decades ago there was this ‘circle’ of American artists who cooperated on several projects. Loretta’s Doll, 4th Sign Of The Apocalypse, Thee Majesty, A Murder Of Angels, etc. and one of these artists, Derek Rush, I mostly know for December and most particularly the great Dream Into Dust.

Rush also has had a label all this time (well, with a pause), Chthonic Streams and he keeps developing new projects, such as Compactor.

Compactor has quite a discography starting in 2012, of which I have heard some material, but by far not all. On “Multicore” (2017) the sound is a bit “rhythmic noise”, on “Technology Worship” (2018) much rougher, going towards noise, here and there harder rhythmic noise and here and there death industrial.

“Total Data Control” is more of the “rhythmic noise” type, but not of the very heavy kind. Often there is a (somewhat too) repetitive industrial beat with a lot of weird sounds and rhythms on the background, a bit ‘over-the-top IDM’. It is mostly this strangeness on the background that I find most interesting. The tracks on this album are sometimes a bit harder, sometimes somewhat lighter, but they remain (rhythmical) industrial.

Available on tape, but I guess you better be quick, since there are only a 100 copies, or as Bandcamp release.

Links: Compactor, Phage Tapes

v/a * Forms Of Hands 2014 (cd 2014)

Like every year Hands Productions organises their Forms Of Hands festival. Like many a year, I buy one of the 1000 copies of the festival compilation during the Wave Gotik Treffen. Like every year, the compilation contains the Hands-type of music: “rhythmic noise”. Well actually, much of the music is not that hard or noisy. Most of it, as usual, is good though. Hands seems to operate mostly on the harder side of IDM these days, but they do well. They find new and interesting projects and with a remaining high standard, buying a compilation like this is by far no leap in the dark. I said it before. The style of music is not one that I listen to very often, but every once in a while, so it is good that there is this ‘standard’ yearly buy at the Hands stand in the Agra hall in Leipzig during the Whitsun weekend!
Link: Hands Productions

va * Schlagstrom vol. 7 (2cd 2013)

This double cd celebrates 10 years of Schlagstrom. I have never been to the Schlagstrom festival. Actually I have known the name for quite a while without knowing that it is a festival (I thought it was a label or something). In any case, this compilation has some names on it that made me buy it to try it out, but there are many more names on it that are new to me, which could be another reason to get it. Thorofon is on disc 2, but they have a not too interesting discoish track. Better in ‘the Thorofon style’ is Gerechtigkeits Liga’s track on the first disc. Unfortunately M.A.O. is again somewhat disappointing.
What I expected the festival to be like, the first disc mostly contains ‘rhythmical industrial’ (what today is called ‘rhythmic noise’). Mostly not really extreme, but nicely danceable. There are also some harder tracks and a little bit of downright noise. Disc 2 is nice with a lot of analogue electronic music. Unfortunately there are two terrible tracks (Underhill and Kunst Als Strafe) in the beginning and towards the end the more experimental tracks are not always my taste.
Overall I think the first disc is most consistent in enjoyability, but the most interesting tracks are on disc 2. Indeed, a varried compilation for people who are interested in the current state of industrial music.
Links: Schlagstrom, Prodam

v/a * Forms Of Hands 13 (cd 2013)

Just like two years ago I got me a copy of the latest “Forms Of Hands” when in Leipzig. Hands appears to become more and more a label balancing between the good old “rhythmic noise” and techno music. Quite like Ant-Zen perhaps. “Forms Of Hands 13” is largely still what I can call “rhythmical industrial”, but much of this music has left the sharp edges and became somewhat technoish. Then again, the music is quite energetic like we are used to of this style and the variation between the more seriously loud tracks and the more IDM-type of tracks make the “Forms Of Hands” series a nice series.
Just like two years ago there are the relatively famous projects such as Winterkälte and Ah Cama-Sotz, allmost classic projects such as Orphx and Geistform and projects that are new to me such as Kaibun and Phasenmensch.
However I like the music live, I do not play it much at home, but these Hands compilations are a reason to buy something in the style.
Link: Hands Productions

Oyaarss ‎* Smaida Greizi Nākamība (cd 2012)

DiscogsGoogle translator says that the title is Latvian and means “Crooked Smile Futurity”. That sounds as weird as the original title! The music is not too common either. Oyaarss makes some kind of IDM (is that term still used today?) of the tranquil kind. So tranquil even that the music sometimes leans towards soundscapes or ambient. Here and there the sounds gets rougher and goes more into the direction of “rhtymic noise”, a sound that I somehow expect from the label Ad Noiseam. However the Last.fm info on the project speaks about “harsh and atmospheric sound, with heavy distorted beats” and even mentions the music styles industrial, post-metal, sludge and noise, this will make you overly expected about the intensity of the music. I can tell you, it is all fairly easy-listening. Not bad though, it is a nice IDM sound that serves well as background music.
Links: Oyaarss, Ad Noiseam

v/a * Forms Of Hands 11 (cd 2011)

I did not buy very much at this year’s Wave Gotik Treffen, just this compilation and a Loki compilation. I hoped to get “2011 Hands”, their annual multi cd label compilation. Unfortunately these series are abandoned and now you can only get the series of the annual Hands festival which started in 2000. This 11th festival compilation has several projects that are new to me. Libido Formandi, Shorai, Wieloryb, Hysteresis and Edgey. Projects that I did know are Angina P, Maschinenkrieger vs Disraptor, Empusae, Winterkälte, Incite/, Greyhound and Orphx. Of course that is just me, but when getting a Hands compilation I hoped for some heavy “rhythmical industrial”, “indancetrial”, “rhythmic noise”, whatever you call it. It takes a few tracks before the harder sounds gets in. It looks like it that Hands became (or perhaps always was), more of a techno label. The sounds here go from IDM to more straight forward (soft) techno, but also breakcore and fortunately the larget part is “rhythmic noise”. I must say that most tracks do not sound all that bad and some are simply great (go Wieloryb!), so this is a nicely varried compilation. I still like the harder tracks best.
Hands Productions

v/a * 2010 Hands (2cd 2010)

However I like the musical style that seems to be mostly called “rhythmic noise” nowadays, there are a few problems with it. The larger part of the material in this style does not keep my attention. It is not energetic enough, too repetative or simply too unimaginable. Even the ‘bigger’ and ‘better’ projects in my ears only have a couple of great tracks and a lot of alright ones. Therefor I do not really follow the style or play it very often. Oftentimes when I want to play something extreme but danceable I pick some sort of extreme techno album. Then again, these Hands compilations are a good way to get a sense of what is going on in the style. 30 Tracks, 10 projects, there ought to be something good among that! The first cd contains tracks that mostly perhaps sound somewhat industrial, but especially quite technoish. In fact, I would describe more than a few tracks on this cd as IDM (a bit harder and a bit more industrial than much of that style though), sometimes as drum’n’bass, perhaps here and there a track as breakcore, but overall relatively soft technoish tracks. The first cd contains one or two more ‘typical’ tracks, but the people who enjoy the harder style will be more pleased by cd 2, especially the opening project Greyhound. Pounding industrial beats, nicely minimalistic, but energetic, indeed, the more interesting tracks are to be found on this cd. Since almost all projects do not have but one style, the first cd contains some harder tracks and the second some softer as well. I think this compilation gives a nice overview of a style that seems to grow closer and closer to the harder styles of techno. There might have been added a few really loud tracks if you ask me, but I guess the way it is, “2010 Hands” is a descent compilation to play in the car.
Link: Hands Productions

16Pad Noise Terrorist * Utopia (cd 2010)

The project’s name suggests a pretty loud industrial sound, but I must say that the sound of 16Pad is closer to IDM than to danceable industrial terror. Ok, the technoish music is harder than much of the music from the techno scene, but “noise terrorist”? Nah. Not that the music is very bad or extremely boring, by the way. I think this album may appeal to people who like, for example, the harder kind of drum’n’bass, but I just hoped for a bit more of sonic terrorism.
Links: 16Pad Noise Terrorist, Hands Productions

Neonrain vs HP Unit 14 * Distructured Dance Factory (cdr 2004)

Distructured Dance FactoryLast week I stumbled upon the French distro and label Steelwork Maschine. I never heard of them, nor have I heard of most projects they release and sell. Not having enough time to carefully look through their catalogues, I got a copy of this split cdr. Neon Rain offers some alright to nice rhythmical industrial tracks, HP Unit 14 has more tranquil IDM or drum’n’bass sounds which are not too good. It is always nice to run into new music, but I will have to check if Steelwork also sells really good stuff.
Links: Neonrain, Steelwork Maschine