SONAR and SILK SAW new CDs on ANT-ZEN[views:1355][posts:0]_______________________________________ [Aug 31,2006 10:38am - the_reverend ""] NEW RELEASES ON ANT-ZEN: SILK SAW. 8 REPORTS. CD. ANT-ZEN ACT186 8 reports is an album that can be seen as a conceptual work. eight tracks (eight 'reports') about the current state of man and the planet he lives on. however, there is more than enough room for interpretations, personal additions and dissenting votes - marc medea and gabriel severin do not agitate. they do allegorise though and when asked they say "we hope that people will see the humour inside those reports - a humour you will find in samuel beckett's works for example." once again the two belgians easily create an aural sphere in which the usual musical laws don't seem to exist, or don't seem to be useful. the same can be said about time itself - a track's duration has no meaning to the listener - time is suspended. some tracks seem to be geometric but try listening to these backwards. the instruments, f.e. synthesizers, 6-string bass guitar and drum computer, are treated in the unusual silk saw way. none the less, you might notice that straight forward rhythms are on the album - 'conductor' or 'faggoted' are good examples. the quiet, dark 'sleep will come' sounds as the title implies, and 'faceless' is something special: broken and un-metric beats. this track is their most recent composition and maybe one of their best tracks - so say the artists. a moody, mesmerizing release, another planet in silk saw's universe. available: 01september2k6 SONAR. ALIEN OVERDRIVE. CD. ANT-ZEN ACT196 during the last ten years sonar has become one of the most well-known and appreciated rhythmic-industrial projects. countless releases and high-energetic live performances assured their top position in this genre. for those unfamiliar, sonar's sound can be described as synthesized outbursts, strategically placed samples and droning bass pulses, corseted in strict driving beats and minimalistic sequences. presently the sonar line-up consists of dirk ivens (dive, the klinik, absolute body control) and eric van wonterghem (monolith, insekt, absolute body control). alien overdrive displays sonar's professional skill in diversifying a well-known style of industrial music, making it fresh and exiting. the straightness of the tracks works perfectly as a catalyst that makes you move your body. then again, this music's specific feature is displayed subliminally, f.e. unusual syncopations ('vanished'), accentuations on the off-beat ('bad man') or a constant state of the rhythmic flux without an actual beat ('transfo funk'). the more often you will listen to it, the more you will discover. the three remixes at the end of this album make a fine addition; ranging from morgenstern's mixture of dark atmospheric soundscapes and pounding dance beats to german industrial legend marita schreck's 16th-note tekknoise and belarussian ambassador 21 who offers this release's fastest track - a powerful orgy of rhythmic assaults. this is the first sonar release on ant-zen in almost a decade - play at maximum volume! available: 08september2k6 |