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    Frequency Curtain – Frequency Curtain

    September 2nd, 2014

    Frequency Curtain - Frequency Curtain

    Do you remember that AMM album called Before Driving to the Chapel, We Took Coffee With Rick and Jennifer Reed? Of course you do. As it turns out, Rick and Jennifer Reed are actual human beings presently living on planet Earth, and one of them even plays in Frequency Curtain! I’ll let you guess which one. Joining the one Reed during this 2001 recording in their home base of Austin, Texas are Josh Ronsen, leader of an improv music + performance art outfit with the catchy name Brekekekexkoaxkoax and publisher of Monk Mink Pink Punk music magazine, and fellow media artist John Grzinich.
    So, what kind of sound does Frequency Curtain offer to you, the discerning music listener? True to their name, they gargle up four long tracks of gritty electronic drones in which the vintage technology of sine wave generators and short wave radios are seamlessly layered with the infinitely itchy aural pixels of modern laptop computers. Painful, high-pitched tones and all kinds of brittle skittles meld with deep synth-like clouds and packs of percolating barbs, forming the perfect menacing backdrop for an all-night slumber party in a pitch black utility closet. And the black, abstract cover and psychedelic disc art–both of which are quite lovely and minimal–match the music perfectly. I highly recommended this CD for any and all drone fans who like it rough.

    Label: Elevator Bath Catalog Number: eeaoa9 Format: CD Packaging: Digi-Pak Tracks: 4 Total Time: 54:52 Country: United States Released: 2002 More: Official

    Text ©2009 Arcane Candy


    Brekekekexkoaxkoax – We Used to be Such Good Friends

    August 1st, 2014

    Brekekekexkoaxkoax - We Used to be Such Good Friends

    Brandishing a bizarre band name that sounds like Popeye’s laugh followed by the throaty call of a tropical bird, Brekekekexkoaxkoax first appeared within the space-time continuum that we call home back in 1996 around Austin, Texas, where they secreted a great bog blob of improvised music, performance art and image projection into their immediate biosphere. Led by artist / musician Josh Ronsen, the outfit, featuring a large, rotating cast of characters, finally got up the gumption to release their first album a full decade into their existence. Emblazoned with the title We Used to be Such Good Friends, the homespun artifact presents four selections of spontaneous aural treats that span the years 2000 to 2005. Kicking off the proceedings with guitar, banjo, violin, flute, clarinet, oboe, organ, snare drum and electronics, “Haifa Hi-Fi” spreads out a nearly half-hour dollop of plinky-plonk prickly peanut clatter. After starting out extremely quiet and sparse, it starts to pick up a little steam after 20 minutes. Fans of AMM would have no problem with this piece.

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